The Pittsburgh Steelers have several options for tackle at the 20th overall pick as it stands before the draft, and with the deep class, it would seem likely that the team dips into that depth. And it seems the team is interested in the guys from the west coast, as Steelers offensive line coach Pat Meyer was in Seattle for Washington Pro Day, according to Huskies Wire’s Alex Katson.
According to Jordan Schultz, the Steelers, potentially Meyer, met with tackle Troy Fautanu before the team’s pro day. That’s another sign of interest for Fautanu. And the team brought him in for a visit.
And in Chad Reuter’s seven-round mock draft, Fautanu lands in Pittsburgh.
“Fautanu’s lateral quickness and bend should allow him to have success at left tackle, but he could also line up at left guard (where he played a few games for the Huskies) thanks to his strength and nasty attitude,” he wrote.
Fautanu is the group sleeper not discussed nearly enough among Steelers fans, but he makes sense. He measured with 34 1/2-inch arms at the NFL Combine. The Steelers under Andy Weidl and Omar Khan have strategically put the cut off line around that mark. Fautanu checks the box, which puts him in the mix at 20th overall. Add on a 1.71 10-yard split and an impressive set of position drills, and this needs to be at least thought of significantly.
The rest of the draft plays out wildly and the Steelers end up with a combination of players that I do not expect to be possible in the NFL Draft. In round two, they land Jackson Powers-Johnson at center and follow that up in the third round by adding Keon Coleman, the talented wide receiver from Florida State.
Both of those are excellent value additions. But they were not done with adding value. Pittsburgh drafted Clemson linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Florida State cornerback Renardo Green. They finished their draft with safety Jaylin Simpson and defensive tackle Marcus Harris out of Auburn.This scenario feels like a home run for Pittsburgh but one that is highly unrealistic.
