The Pittsburgh Steelers got their tackle with the first-round selection of Troy Fautanu out of Washington. Often included in the top 15 prospects, he fell down to 20 for the Steelers to grab, reportedly, due to long-term injury concerns. Not unlike 2023 draft pick Darnell Washington, teams reportedly flagged him because of his knees.
Also like Washington, however, Fautanu doesn’t share the concerns some teams had. He tore his ACL in college, and also dealt with a Lisfranc foot injury. However, the Steelers made it clear in their press conference they were comfortable with his medicals.
“We wouldn’t select [Troy Fautanu] if we weren’t comfortable with it, and I can’t speak for some of the stuff that’s put out there and what’s true and what’s not and what other people are saying”, head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters when asked about reports of injury concerns.