Troy Fautanu (born October 11, 2000) is an American professional football offensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington Huskies and won the 2023 Morris Trophy. Fautanu was selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Troy Fautanu
refer to caption
Fautanu in 2024
No. 76 – Pittsburgh Steelers
Position:Offensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (2000-10-11) October 11, 2000 (age 24)
Henderson, Nevada, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:317 lb (144 kg)
Career information
High school:Liberty (Henderson)
College:Washington (2019–2023)
NFL draft:2024 / round: 1 / pick: 20
Career history
Roster status:Injured reserve
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 11, 2024
Games played:1
Games started:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Early life

edit

Fautanu was born on October 11, 2000, in Henderson, Nevada.[1] Coming out of high school Fautanu was a three-star prospect and was rated as the 59th offensive tackle in the country.[2] Fautanu committed to play college football for the Washington Huskies.[3][4] Fautanu grew up liking the Pittsburgh Steelers.

College career

edit

In Fautanu's first season in 2019 he redshirted and did not appear in any games. During the 2020 season, Fautanu appeared in four games.[5] During the 2021 season, Fautanu would play in nine games, starting in three of them.[6] Fautanu had a breakout 2022 season, where he started all 13 games.[7] In week three of the 2022 season versus Michigan State, Fautanu was named the Pac-12 offensive lineman of the week.[8] For his performance in the season, Fautanu was named second-team all Pac-12.[9] In the 2023 season, he won the Morris Trophy as the top offensive lineman in the Pac-12 and the Joe Moore Award as the top offensive line unit.[10] Following the season, he declared for the 2024 NFL draft.[11]

Professional career

edit
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 3+34 in
(1.92 m)
317 lb
(144 kg)
34+12 in
(0.88 m)
9+12 in
(0.24 m)
5.01 s 1.71 s 2.88 s 32.5 in
(0.83 m)
9 ft 5 in
(2.87 m)
29 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[12][13]

2024 season

edit
 
Fautanu signing autographs during Steelers training camp in 2024

Fautanu was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 20th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.[14] He signed his four year rookie deal on June 3, 2024.[15] During the Steelers' preseason game against the Houston Texans, Fautanu sustained a knee injury, causing him to miss the remainder of the team's preseason.[16] He would not appear in Week 1, however, he would earn his first professional start the following week in a 13-6 victory over the Denver Broncos.[17] In his first start he allowed no sacks, committed no penalties and allowed no pressures as he played for 55 offensive snaps.[18]

On September 20, Fautanu left the Steelers' practice with an injury that required him to undergo an MRI. He was relieved by Broderick Jones at the right tackle position for the remainder of the practice ahead of the team's Week 3 game against the Los Angeles Chargers.[19] On September 21, Fautanu was placed on the Steelers' injured reserve list, making him ineligible to play for four weeks. He was officially listed as inactive prior to the Steelers Week 4 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.[20] It was revealed on September 23 that Fautanu had dislocated his kneecap, officially ending his rookie season.[21]

In total, Fautanu played in just one game as a rookie.

References

edit
  1. ^ "Troy Fautanu Offensive Tackle Washington". nfldraftbuzz. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  2. ^ Emerson, Justin (September 7, 2018). "Liberty OT Troy Fautanu chooses Washington". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  3. ^ Jude, Adam (September 6, 2018). "Huskies get commitment from three-star offensive tackle Troy Fautanu". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  4. ^ Caple, Christian (September 12, 2018). "14 things to know about OL Troy Fautanu, Washington's most recent recruiting commitment". The Athletic. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  5. ^ Crabbs, Kyle (October 26, 2023). "2024 NFL Draft Player Profile: Washington OL Troy Fautanu". Athlon Sports.com. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  6. ^ "Troy Fautanu". Washington University Athletics. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  7. ^ Raley, Dan (June 29, 2023). "An Insider's Look at UW Offensive Tackle Troy Fautanu ... Finally". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  8. ^ Vorel, Mike (November 8, 2022). "Want to see a scary movie? Turn on ascending UW left tackle Troy Fautanu's fullback tape". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  9. ^ Vorel, Mike (December 19, 2022). "UW Huskies left tackle Troy Fautanu to return for fifth season in 2023". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  10. ^ "Huskies' Fautanu, McMillan to enter NFL draft". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 11, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  11. ^ Miller, Natalie (January 14, 2024). "Washington OL Troy Fautanu declares for the 2024 NFL draft". The Draft Wire. USA Today. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  12. ^ "Troy Fautanu Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  13. ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Troy Fautanu College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  14. ^ Perrotto, John (April 26, 2024). "NFL First-Round Draft Pick Troy Fautanu Realizes His Steelers Dream". Forbes. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  15. ^ "Steelers sign Fautanu". www.steelers.com. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  16. ^ "Steelers Get Injury Timeline for Troy Fautanu". Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. August 11, 2024. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  17. ^ Farabaugh, Nick (September 14, 2024). "Pittsburgh Steelers highly-touted rookie to make first career start". pennlive. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  18. ^ "Troy Fautanu | Pittsburgh Steelers T | NFL and PFF stats". PFF. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  19. ^ Adamski, Chris (September 20, 2024). "Troy Fautanu 'tweaks' injury, leaves Steelers practice, perhaps re-opens RT for Broderick Jones". TribLIVE.com. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  20. ^ Pryor, Brooke (September 21, 2024). "Steelers place starting RT Fautanu (knee) on IR". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  21. ^ Darnay, Mike (September 23, 2024). "Report: Steelers lineman Troy Fautanu expected to miss the rest of the season with knee injury - CBS Pittsburgh". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
edit