24-Year-Old Tackle Shines at Training Camp

NFL

Steelers tackle Troy Fautanu had a season-ending injury last September. The Steelers chose Fautanu in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The team liked him so much that they included him in their starting lineup. After Week Two, he tore his MCL. He’s been cleared to play for a while now. Fautanu began practicing again this spring. Wednesday was his first day back in pads since his injury. Fautanu is still working to gain confidence after his injury. He said, “Just trusting my anchor, knowing that I have the anchor to sit on bull rushes and not lunging and doing stuff like that. A lot of technique stuff, especially when we have pads, because anything goes now.”

Fans and analysts have only seen Fautanu in one game in the NFL so far. Fautanu played college football for the Washington Huskies. He gained experience as a starter in college. He started in three games in 2021. He started in 13 games during the 2022 season and 15 games during the 2023 season. Fautanu was named Second-team All-Pac-12 in 2022. In the 2023 season, he was awarded the Morris Trophy for being the top offensive lineman in the Pac-12. He was also named first-team All-Pac-12.

Fautanu did solo reps against T.J. Watt at training camp and got some wins. Fautanu spoke about being back at training camp and practicing against Watt. He said, “You really don’t know what to expect. For me, I’ve just got to make sure that I’m taking the correct set and not beating myself because he’s going to take anything you give him. I’m going to continue to get better. Obviously, going against a guy like him is going to help me out. I’m looking for reps like that. Good on good. So, shout out to him. I’m super excited to continue to get better.” 

Fautanu earned praise for how he played at training camp. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was impressed with Fautanu’s performance. He remarked, “I thought he represented himself well today. He really gets an opportunity to improve and improve fast because of who he gets to work against every day.” The Steelers are moving forward with their young tackles. Broderick Jones is on the left side. Fautanu is on the right side. It will be interesting to watch him play this season and see how he progresses

Cris Ciani

Cris graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Entertainment Business from Full Sail University in December of 2024. She’s a passionate NFL fan and an aspiring sports journalist.

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