PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers selected University of Washington offensive guard Troy Fautanu with its first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday night.
The Steelers chose Fautanu with the No. 20 pick to help protect newly acquired quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. ESPN rated Fautanu as the second-best offensive guard and the 10th-best prospect overall in the draft class.
Fautanu, who spent five seasons with the Huskies, was named to the All-Pac 12 first team for the second consecutive season in 2023. His defensive line competitors voted Fautanu as the top offensive lineman in the Pac-12 Conference in 2023. The 6-foot-4 offensive lineman was the backbone of a Huskies unit that allowed just 12 sacks last season.
ESPN's Steve Muench called Fautanu a "tenacious drive blocker" who can be an asset for the Steelers in the running game.
"Fautanu is a tenacious drive blocker who teams could confidently run behind in short-yardage situations," Muench said in his draft scouting report. "He has the range to reach second-level defenders and the size to overwhelm defenders in space. His body control and balance in pass protection are excellent. He also mirrors well when his footwork is sound, and he flashes the ability to recover when he gets caught out of position. Fautanu has long arms, bends well and has a strong punch."
Fautanu is the third Husky drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, joining quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (No. 8 overall) and wide receiver Rome Odunze (No. 9 overall). Penix Jr. and Odunze were drafted in back-to-back picks by the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears, respectively.
