Updated depth chart after Steelers select Troy Fautanu
By Tommy Jaggi
In the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Steelers went with a name who was rarely linked to Pittsburgh. With Amarius Mims off the board, Omar Khan and Andy Weidl passed on Duke center Graham Barton in favor of Washington offensive tackle, Troy Fautanu.
Fautanu was the top available player on Mel Kiper's draft board when the Steelers were on the clock and the front office wasted no time making the call to confirm their selection.
Now the question becomes: where does he fit on the Steelers depth chart?
It has been reported that some teams may view Fautanu as a guard or center in the NFL. But that's not where the Pittsburgh Steelers intend to play him. Mike Tomlin confirmed that Fautanu would be an offensive tackle for them.
Now the hard part is figuring out which side to put him on. Here's what the projected Steelers depth chart looks like on offense after selecting Fautano in Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Updated Steelers depth chart: Offense
Position | Starter | 2nd string | 3rd string | 4th string |
|---|---|---|---|---|
QB | Russell Wilson | Justin Fields | Kyle Allen | |
RB | Najee Harris | Jaylen Warren | Cordarrelle Patterson | Aaron Shampkin |
WR | George Pickens | Denzel Mims | Marquez Callaway | |
WR | Van Jefferson | Dez Fitzpatick | Duece Watts | |
WR | Calvin Austin III | Quez Watkins | Keilahn Harris | |
TE | Pat Freiermuth | Darnell Washington | Connor Heyward | MyCole Pruitt |
FB | Jack Colletto | |||
LT | Troy Fautanu | Dan Moore Jr. | Kellen Diesch | Devery Hamilton |
LG | Isaac Seumalo | Joey Fisher | ||
C | Nate Herbig | Ryan McCollum | ||
RG | James Daniels | Spencer Anderson | Anderson Hardy | |
RT | Broderick Jones | Dyan Cook | Tyler Beach |
Because the Steelers gave no hint at which side he would be playing, I penciled Troy Fautanu in as the team's starting left tackle. Fautanu was a left tackle at Washington -- logging nearly 2,000 snaps at LT over the past two seasons.
But the reasons to keep him here stretch beyond his usage in college.
Fautanu's best traits are his rapid feet and outstanding mirroring ability in pass protection. These are traits best suited for a left tackle in the NFL. The dilemma is that the team has expressed that they would like to move Broderick Jones back to left tackle.
Plans can change, and perhaps that's what happened here. The value was too good to pass up, and instead of finding a true RT-type to pair with Jones, they couldn't pass on another excellent left tackle prospect in the first round. Perhaps it was a good thing that Jones was able to get acclimated to the right tackle position as a rookie.
As of now, there is no confirmation as to which tackle spots Troy Fautanu and Broderick Jones will play next season. We may not have an answer until the start of training camp.
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