Heading into the 2024 NFL draft, most Steelers’ fans suspected the team would take an offensive lineman with their top overall pick. The list of candidates was fairly broad, with the most popular names including Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims, Duke center Graham Barton, Alabama tackle J.C. Latham, Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson and Oregon State tackle Taliese Fuaga.

One name that emerged late in the draft process but was taken seriously because it came from sources inside the Steelers’ organization was University of Washington tackle Troy Fautanu. The sources who were high on Fautanu were so credible that the contributors here at SCN selected him for the team during our FFSN mock draft conducted by the network’s affiliates last week. Pittsburgh was said to love Fautanu’s combination of experience (31 starts at Washington), athleticism (5.01/40 at the Combine) and versatility (he can play all three line positions) and to believe he had a demeanor that fit their desired identity on offense.

What might that identity be? Well, after watching film of Fautanu into the wee hours of the morning, I believe I can sum it up by paraphrasing the great Ving Rhames in the movie Pulp Fiction: Pittsburgh is about to get medieval on some people this season.

To say that Fautanu is a mauler would be to say water is wet. He brings a level of physicality to the line that compliments what Pittsburgh appears destined to do offensively. Namely, control the line of scrimmage, run the football and set up the pass with the run. Fautanu, whether he’s slotted in at left tackle or at center, should play next to the similarly physical Isaac Seumalo, giving the Steelers the ability to punish defensive linemen on double teams. Fautanu is a finisher who ends most plays with his hands on an opposing defender and is usually running his feet through the echo of the whistle. Often this culminates with the defender being deposited to the turf and rocking there helplessly like a turtle flipped on its shell. With Fautanu joining some of Pittsburgh’s other recent additions up front like Seumalo, Broderick Jones and Dan Moore Jr, the days of watching the line finesse and position block teams by pitter-patting into defenders are over. The Steelers’ offense will be to finesse what a bulldozer is to ballet.

However — and this is the thing that makes the pick so attractive — Fautanu is not just a mauler. He has really good feet. He can get out and block in space, leading backs on pin-and-pull sweeps or clearing the alley on wide receiver screens. His pass sets are spectacular. His kick-step out of his stance is lightning quick, and he marries his hands and feet nicely. This means he strikes when he’s on balance, which prevents him from getting his weight out over his toes or falling forward. Edge rushers have little success beating him wide because of his sound technique, but he’s also quick enough to adjust to inside counter moves and strong enough to anchor in against bull rushes. Fautanu had the fifth-best PFF grade in pass protection last season among all Division I offensive tackles, which literally includes hundreds of players. And in the national championship game against Michigan, which I watched extensively, no defender being blocked by Fautanu got within a yard of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. In a word, Fautanu is a stud.

Why was he on the board at #20, then, when the Steelers selected? Why didn’t he go ahead of the tackles taken before him, like Latham, Fuaga and Notre Dame’s Joe Alt? Some of that has to do with size. All the tackles I just mentioned are 6’6 or bigger, while Fautanu measured at just under 6’4 at the NFL Scouting Combine. Concerns about Fautanu’s length — or lack thereof — may have scared some teams off. Others may have been unsure of his fit. While he played left tackle at Washington, many view him like they viewed Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski in last year’s draft: a college tackle better suited to kick inside in the league. While Mike Tomlin stated at his press conference on Friday that the Steelers intend to play Fautanu at tackle, they may decide to move him given their need at the center position. Rounds Two and Three will likely tell us more about the team’s plan for both Fautanu and the line as a whole. Wherever he plays, Fautanu has the ability to be a Day One starter for the Steelers.

Ultimately, Pittsburgh acquired another young lineman to help re-make their front on offense. A position group that as recently as two seasons ago was among the worst on the team now has the potential to become a strength. With Arthur Smith’s brand of smash-mouth football coming to town, Fautanu feels like a perfect compliment.

For video that corroborates this analysis of Fautanu, check out my film breakdown of the newest Steeler in the player below: