In the initial round, the Steelers made little secret of their ambitions, having brought in 11 offensive lineman on “30” visits. In the end, they took advantage of this draft class heavy on tackles by selecting Troy Fautanu of Washington at number twenty overall.
The Steelers selected Fautanu with their first pick in the first round after trading up for Brandon Jones (No. 14 overall) the previous season. While Mike Tomlin stated (via ESPN.com’s Brooke Pryor) that the Steelers see their newest recruit as a player who can stick at tackle, some clubs thought Fautanu would be a better guard.
Fautanu was ranked 11th by Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board. Although some teams thought the Washington alum would need to move inside, the seasoned draft analyst thinks not. This is a perspective that some NFL professionals share; the Steelers seem to be among them. This sets up Fautanu as a player who will play tackle alongside Dan Moore and Jones. Due to this pick, Moore, who is in his contract year, seems like he will be leaving Pittsburgh by 2025 at the latest.
Jones’ primary position in college was right tackle, but it’s thought the Steelers are prepared to move him to left tackle. This would allow Fautanu to enter the right side. who spent most of his college career at left tackle (with a few guard starts mixed in).
The Steelers will ask a left tackle, either Jones or Fautanu, to switch positions if Jones moves over. Despite coming in six spots after Jones was selected last year, The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly (subscription needed) reports that the Steelers believe Fautanu is a greater prospect than the Georgia alum. The Steelers had trade possibilities, but they declined because of the value they thought Fautanu might bring.
Rather of endangering the careers of one of the starters, Fautanu is expected to support Pittsburgh’s guard combo of James Daniels and Isaac Seumalo. Kaboly even notes that the team is probably going to reach an extension agreement with Daniels prior to the first game of the season. Daniels has a $26.5 million, three-year contract that is about to expire.
Daniels is entering his seventh season in the NFL, although he won’t turn 27 until September. The former second-round pick of the Bears would be a fantastic fit for a big third contract because he still has several great years left in him. The Iowa graduate was ranked 33rd among guards by Pro Football Focus in the previous season and 24th in his Steelers debut.
In his professional career, Daniels has played guard and center; however, the Bears’ attempt to start him at center did not succeed past the 2019 year. For the last two seasons, he has served as the right guard for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Both Daniels and Semualo are currently under contract with the Steelers for less than $10MM annually; a Daniels extension would likely change that. The Steelers have more spending freedom since they have low-cost contracts with both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
Daniels might reap the benefits shortly as the team now has two tackles on rookie contracts (and no starter-caliber center on the roster as of yet). Since the Steelers don’t discuss extensions during the season, the organization and the contract-year wide receiver would have to meet by Week 1.
