Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Steelers' Troy Fautanu Sends Heartwarming Message To Fans After Being Drafted

Originally posted on Steeler Nation | By Brogan Noey | Last updated 4/26/24

The Pittsburgh Steelers have selected Troy Fautanu with the 20th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. After all the speculation about the organization trading up or down, or trading their pick for a current player, they wound up standing still and picking the guy they wanted. General Manager Omar Khan selected a player that was born to be a Steeler, as he grew up a Pittsburgh fan and his favorite player growing up was Troy Polamalu.

Fautanu was one of the top ranked tackles in the 2024 NFL Draft, and he certainly fills a need that the Steelers had along their offensive line. It was somewhat surprising the Steelers were able to land him at pick 20, as he was near the top of the Steelers' draft board. Six quarterbacks going within the first 12 picks of the 2024 NFL Draft however, helped the Steelers land the life-long Black and Gold fan.

Fautanu gave a warm greeting to Steeler Nation shortly after he was selected.

God is so good. It couldn’t be written any better. I was born to be a Steeler! Pittsburgh… let’s get to work!
— Troy Fautanu ™ (@tFautanu) April 26, 2024

Fautanu helps Pittsburgh anchor their offensive line to protect Russell Wilson and/or Justin Fields. Fautanu played left tackle during his college career at Washington, but there has been some speculation about whether or not the Steelers want to move Broderick Jones back to his natural position of left tackle during the 2024 season.

When I tell y’all this truly is a dream come true…. It was already written. https://t.co/D1xncp2FhH
— Troy Fautanu ™ (@tFautanu) April 26, 2024

Fautanu was able to make his dream come true of making it to the NFL. First of being a first round pick, but more importantly, his dream is coming true of becoming a Steeler. Head Coach Mike Tomlin seems determined that Fautanu will be playing either of the tackle positions, despite the speculation that he could move to the inside of the offensive line as a guard.

Steelers Land Top Rated Tackle

Despite Fautanu going 20th overall, he was ranked a lot higher by many draft analysts. He was ranked the third-best offensive tackle by Next Gen Stats, but was the sixth tackle taken in the 2024 NFL Draft. It's safe to say that the Steelers got a steal in the first round, and with six rounds left, the organization is making good progress towards filling all of the necessary holes on the roster.

Fautanu played in 35 games from 2021 through the 2023 college football seasons. His best season came in 2022, where he was given a grade of 77.9 from Pro Football Focus and gave up zero sacks in 608 pass blocking snaps. He is a mauler who was born to be a Steeler, and whether he plays tackle on the left or right side of the offensive line, he will be a game changer for Pittsburgh in 2024 and beyond.

This article first appeared on SteelerNation.com and was syndicated with permission.

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