Author: Ryan Parish

This week, Ryan and Ryland wonder if a defensive lineman in the first is as sure of a bet as Steelers fans think. PLUS, Steelers in Review turns its gaze towards Troy Fautanu.

We’re officially in silly season, Steelers Nation. With just a couple of weeks remaining before draft night, speculation about the team’s machinations are starting to reach a fever pitch. The Steelers are seemingly being linked to every rookie quarterback who isn’t named Cam Ward, and internet detectives are trying their best to decipher the clues behind every team’s pre-draft visits.

This week, Read & React wonders if the Steelers are cooking up a surprise move for Draft Night. Plus, stick around as Steelers Review continues as we look at Troy Fautanu’s brief 2024 season.

A defensive lineman in the first round has been a popular projection for months now. Could the Steelers throw us a curveball on draft night?

Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

RP: The short answer is yes. And it’s seemingly growing more likely.

Ryland and I have discussed how something feels unusual about the Steelers’ draft process this year. In this column, we’ve highlighted how the Steelers have used pre-draft visits in recent years and how they’ve been a good indicator of how the Steelers will draft.

With just 15 days remaining until the draft, Steelers fans usually have a decent read on what direction the Steelers will be going in the draft by now. We may not know the exact player, but we usually have a good guess at what position. They made no effort to disguise their search for a quarterback in 2022. We knew about their fondness of Najee Harris in 2021. Offensive tackle was an obvious interest in 2023 and 2024. And we all but knew they were dying to trade up and get one of the two Devins at linebacker in 2019.

This year feels a little off, though. In recent drafts, it’s been a pretty good rule of thumb that the Steelers’ first pick will be a player whose pro day was attended by both Mike Tomlin and the general manager and was then brought in for a pre-draft visit. However, the Steelers bucked that trend last year when they selected Troy Fautanu despite neither Omar Khan nor Tomlin attending his pro day. The team reportedly had a lot of intel on him already, however, and they did bring him to Pittsburgh for a visit.

Tomlin and Khan haven’t been as active on the pro day circuit this year as they have in recent years. From what I can gather, Tomlin has attended pro days at Georgia, Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Texas. Khan has attended Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Texas.

They notably did not attend Oregon’s pro day, so theoretically, popular prospect Derrick Harmon would be ruled out. They were also absent from Colorado and Mississippi’s pro days, so that would rule out Shedeur Sanders and Jaxson Dart, both of whom have been announced as pre-draft visits.

In fact, if we went off our old rule of thumb, these are the players who would currently qualify:

• WR Matthew Golden, Texas

End of list.

The Steelers have announced 25 of their available 30 pre-draft visits, and so far, it’s a confusing mix of prospects. Possible first-rounders include Sanders, Dart, Golden, edge Shemar Stewart and safety Nick Emmanwori. A few others are likely second-rounders with fringe first-round hopes like corners Azareye’h Thomas and Trey Amos, receiver Jayden Higgins and running back Kaleb Johnson.

If the defensive line was such a sure pick in the first round, shouldn’t we have had a few more first-round prospects scheduled already? There are still seven visits left to be scheduled of course, but this feels significant. A trade back could be in the cards, or maybe an off-the-wall pick.

What do you make of this, Ryland? Are the Steelers shaking things up, or are they telling us something? Who would make sense to you if defensive line isn’t the pick in the first round?

RB: I agree with your analysis that defensive line is looking less and less likely in the first round, but there’s still some hope. The Steelers brought in Derrick Harmon today for a visit, and don’t forget that Fautanu’s top-30 visit wasn’t until April 15 last year. The Steelers can still show meaningful interest late in this draft process.

Still, that’s just one D-lineman with a first-round grade the Steelers have brought in, with only six remaining unreported visits.

Again, as only one player fits the usual Steelers’ criteria for a first-round pick so far this year, I think it’s possible the team goes after a player who they haven’t shown the expected amount of interest in, even if that breaks the habits we touted a few weeks ago in this same column.

If that’s the case, we can spread a wider net by looking at formal combine interviews:

Looking at potential first-rounders, Jahdae Barron, Will Johnson, and Benjamin Morrison become possibilities at defensive back. Harmon and Kenneth Grant were interviews at defensive line; Golden, Emeka Egbuka, and Luther Burden at receiver; Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton at running back. And of course, Jaxson Dart at quarterback.

The Steelers don’t tend to draft heavily enough from the combine interview list to make it a staple of draft predictions, but the team did meet with Fautanu and Logan Lee at the event in 2024.

To try to be more accurate, we can single out potential first-round players who had combine meetings as well as some other form of interest:

• Jahdae Barron and Matthew Golden (pro day, top-30 visit for Golden)
• Will Johnson and Kenneth Grant (Teryl Austin was at the pro day even if Johnson didn’t work out)
• Benjamin Morrison (Omar Khan was at the pro day even if Morrison didn’t work out)
• Emeka Egbuka (pro day)
• Ashton Jeanty (Eddie Faulkner was at the pro day)
• Jaxson Dart (top-30 visit)
• Omarion Hampton (top-30 visit)

Beyond that list and the top-30 visits, there are some names that just feel like potential first-round Steelers in this draft class as well. Notably, Jalen Milroe (pro day dinner and sudden first-round hype) and Malaki Starks (pro day).

There’s no clear trend with the expanded list, but it’s safe to say that if not defensive line, the Steelers seem to be heavily investigating wide receiver and quarterback as first-round options, as well as some top prospects at cornerback, safety, and running back.

What’s worth noting is that the Steelers have shown a lot of top-30 interest in the middle rounds of this deep running back and defensive line class, potentially altering how they prioritize their first-round pick.

I’ll finish by pointing out the biggest wild card here: edge rusher. The Shemar Stewart visit threw everyone off guard, and if you read too much into it you’ll realize Mike Tomlin was also watching Mykel Williams and Jalon Walker at Georgia’s pro day.

In short, it’s a whole lot of nobody knows this year when trying to predict the Steelers’ first-round pick. I’m starting to think it will be a curveball — and while unlikely, the best option might just be to trade down.

RP: I agree a trade down makes a lot of sense. Just to put a bow — and maybe a tin foil hat — on the whole thing, I’ll highlight two names a little further.

First, let’s talk about Jalen Milroe. While I think both Ryland and I are open to the idea of Milroe as a mid-round pick, there is some serious smoke happening with that first round buzz Ryland mentioned. While I’m not saying the Steelers are definitely the team targeting him, the fact that he got an invite to the green room for the TV broadcast of the draft is significant. The NFL has made efforts in recent years to invite less players in hopes of avoiding those awkward moments where we can watch the player react live to a tumble out of the first round. Last year the NFL invited 13 players and each one of them was selected in the first round. That Milroe received an invitation is a strong indicator that the league has information that some team might take him.

The Steelers did send Tomlin and Khan to Alabama’s Pro Day and reportedly have positive feelings about him. If Milroe gets an invite to Pittsburgh, we might have to take him more seriously. The Steelers don’t have a second round pick — where Milroe has been expected to go until now — could they “overdraft” Milroe and sit him a year behind Aaron Rodgers or Mason Rudolph? I wouldn’t love it, but would be able to cope if they traded back to do it.

Lastly, the Steelers have also been showing interest in the top safeties in this class. Both Tomlin and Khan were in attendance at Georgia (Malakai Starks), Texas (Andrew Mukuba), and Notre Dame (Xavier Watts). Defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander was at South Carolina’s pro day and reportedly worked out with Emmanwori, which could be similar to how the Steelers had Pat Meyer work out Fautanu at Washington last year.

The Steelers shocked a lot of people, myself included, in 2018 when they took Terrell Edmunds with their first pick. Edmunds had tested well in the broad jump (97th percentile) and vertical (96th), and those athletic traits were seemingly the reason behind the pick. That selection as well as the trade of a first for Minkah Fitzpatrick let us know how much the Steelers value the position. I’m also reminded of the time Mike Tomlin gushed to Chase Young about his athleticism.

As Ryland mentioned before, Emmanwori finished with a perfect RAS score. While he’s still got a lot to develop in his game, you aren’t going to find many guys with his combination of size and athleticism. With DeShon Elliott in the final year of his deal, could Pittsburgh be looking ahead a year?

Time will tell.

Steelers in review: OT Troy Fautanu

Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images

Welcome to R&R’s newest segment: Steelers in Review. The need to keep an accurate view of last season can get lost in the news cycle of free agency and the draft. As a result, we’ll be looking at one Steeler’s 2024 season in each segment, noting where they succeeded, where they struggled, and what they’ll bring to the roster in 2025. This week, we’ll be looking at the Steelers’ top pick in 2024, offensive tackle Troy Fautanu.

RB: Fautanu’s 2024 with the Steelers was short-lived. Generally seen as a bit of a steal where he was picked in the first round, there was still some confusion as to where he’d fit in an offensive tackle room that already included Broderick Jones and Dan Moore Jr., especially as some analysts saw Fautanu as a guard in the NFL.

The consensus developed into the expectation that Jones would replace Moore at left tackle and Fautanu would take over on the right; instead, Moore clung onto the starting job at left tackle and Jones and Fautanu battled for the right tackle spot in camp. Fautanu was the clear winner following a rough performance by Jones in Week 2 against the Broncos, in which the Steelers had the ill-fated idea of rotating right tackles but quickly learned to stick with the best one.

The problem? Fautanu suffered a season-ending injury the following week in practice. Moore and Jones were cemented as the team’s starters at tackle for 2024.

Entering 2025, Moore has left in free agency, opening up a more or less guaranteed starting spot for Fautanu in the upcoming season. But with just one preseason and regular season game each under his belt, how confident should we be in how he’ll hold up?

My take: very confident.

As usual, Ryan and I will split up the analysis. He’ll analyze Fautanu’s pass protection, while I’ll break down his work in the run game, where there’s a lot to like.

The main takeaway is that Fautanu fits what the Steelers want to do on offense to a tee. He’s a mean, physical blocker who still brings the excellent mobility you want to see in a zone scheme. He has quick, choppy feet, active hands, and is fast and aggressive off the line:

He also shows great functional strength, handling defensive linemen to open up gaps:

One thing that stood out about Fautanu’s game was how he wins fast with his athleticism but loses slowly thanks to his tenacity. That’s a great trait to have as a talented, but still green behind the ears lineman when he’s put in the starting lineup in 2025.

Fautanu’s losses, unless you count one of his first snaps in the preseason where he was left in the dust by Danielle Hunter, aren’t all that bad. They’re also few and far between. If there’s one recurring issue, it’s that I still have mild concerns about his length.

Fautanu’s seemingly sawed-off build was a point of contention in the draft process, but his measurements of 6’4 with 34-and-half-inch arms at the NFL Combine alleviated the baseline concerns. Still, his sustain as a blocker could use some work at times, where you’d like Fautanu to control the defender for just a few ticks longer.

But again, Fautanu has just two NFL games under his belt in his career — one was in the preseason — and he’s over the minimum threshold for offensive tackle measurements. His entire career is in front of him and he’s shown the athleticism and effort to succeed at tackle in the NFL.

Another point worth noting is that the Steelers ran heavily to Fautanu’s side against Denver. It might’ve had more to do with Spencer Anderson starting at left guard than Fautanu at right tackle, but it still shows a lot of trust early-on in the rookie lineman.

We’ll definitely see some improvements in his technique as time goes on — Ryan and I both noticed some entertaining moments on tape, whether it’s the well-intentioned but ineffective dive on a reach block against Denver, or his hopping and kicking effort to move a defensive tackle against Houston:

The future is very bright for Fautanu. His lone NFL start came against one of the league’s top defenses in Denver last year, and he more than held his own. The injuries — knee issues that shortened his rookie year and were flagged during the draft process — are something that shouldn’t be ignored, but on-field, there aren’t many concerns.

I think Fautanu will be a very good tackle for the Steelers next year and beyond. And the worst, non-injury scenario where he can’t hold up on the outside? He still profiles as an elite guard.

The sample size is minuscule, but I’m willing to bet the Steelers found a quality starter in Fautanu. What did you see in the passing game, Ryan?

RP: Like Ryland, I came away with more positive feelings than negative ones. As Bickley alluded to, the knee injury is my main concern with Fautanu at this juncture. That isn’t to say he’s a fully polished product at this stage in his career, but we’ve all watched the Steelers line in recent years. Fautanu just looks different than what we’re used to.

Denver’s defense was no easy test. For most of the game, Fautanu was squaring off against Jonathon Cooper. While Cooper isn’t one of the game’s elite, he’s been an effective piece in NFL pass rush units, and finished last year with 10.5 sacks and has 19 since becoming a starter in 2023. When Fautanu didn’t have to deal with the speed rusher Cooper, he was up against Zach Allen, one of the league’s most underrated and strong interior defenders.

For the most part, Fautanu held his own, despite the left side of the line — Moore and Anderson — being a mess all game.

I’ll highlight the first few handful of plays above. In the first clip, I love that rep in the redzone from Fautanu. While the touchdown was nullified due to an OPI call on Van Jefferson, Fautanu absolutely stonewalled the defensive tackle. On the second play, the rookie escorted the defensive tackle completely out of the play. On the third and fourth play, we get to see Fautanu handle twists and stunts from the defenders. Finally, take note on several reps that Cooper tried to go wide on Fautanu, but with his quick feet and long arms, the rookie was able to guide the pass rusher on a wide arc that never allows the defender to threaten the quarterback.

On a few of those reps and some of the plays below, we’ll see though that it isn’t always automatic for Fautanu. Ryland highlighted that sometimes he’d like to see more power and finish from the young tackle. The same can be said in the passing game.

There are some instances where Fautanu gets driven back into the quarterback’s lap, which can mess with the passer’s timing and throwing platform. Other times, he was susceptible to counters inside, or failed to finish a defender who was able to stay alive and still make a play. In the third play above (0:12), Allen is able to use his power to rock the rookie back and then long arm him and get right upfield to the quarterback.

As Bickley mentioned earlier, there are some losses on Fautanu’s tape, but none are of the embarrassing sort. Overall, I came away feeling encouraged. If Fautanu can stay healthy and continue to develop, the Steelers’ offensive line should take another step forward in 2025.

Join in on Steelers R&R by sharing your takes on this week’s topics. What do you expect in the first round? How confident are you in Troy Fautanu’s future as a starter? Let us know in the comments! Feel free to pitch future questions in the comment section or on Twitter/X: tag @_Ryland_B or @RyanParishMedia.