Halicke: How Fautanu's tape lives up to Tomlin's hype

The Steelers had been prioritizing offensive tackle throughout the NFL Draft process, and they lucked into having one of the best tackles in the class fall into their lap at 20th overall.

Adding Troy Fautanu out of Washington not only brings a potential steal, but also the potential to have cost-effective bookends on the line for the next three seasons. Or longer.

There are a couple of concerns about Fautanu: His health, which involves a previous ACL injury, and then if he can stick at tackle in the NFL. Omar Khan emphatically shut down any concerns over medical history when addressing reporters Thursday night at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, saying, "We wouldn't select him if we weren't comfortable with it."

Then, Fautanu's size is a key reason why some think he'll have to move to guard or center in the NFL. Fautanu is 1/4 inch short of 6-4 and weighs 317 pounds. That's under the preferred size for NFL tackles, regardless of what side they play. He does have decent length (34 1/2-inch arms), which helps make up for that lack of size.

But, again, the Steelers really did not seem too concerned about Fautanu being too short.

"You know, what are we talking about? If he was a quarter of an inch taller, you might not be asking that," Mike Tomlin said Thursday night when asked about Fautanu's size. "He's got great arm length, and his tape is very, very impressive. It's probably one of the reasons why he was available to us, so we really probably appreciate his stature, to be quite honest with you."

That tape that Tomlin mentioned, he brought it up on well more than one occasion Thursday night. In fact, at one point he succinctly said, "Just turn the tape on."

So, since I break down tape here pretty frequently, I spent several hours watching tape after the Steelers chose Fautanu. And, yeah ... I see exactly what Tomlin is talking about.

First off, Fautanu plays like a Steeler. That entire Washington offensive line was physical, but Fautanu -- as the best member of that unit -- helped set the tone more often than not. I found two great, but also very different, examples of the physicality and passion Fautanu plays with on the field:

One thing I really noticed in the few games I watched Thursday night is Fautanu seeks out violence. In the few plays in which he's not engaged with anyone, he goes and looks for somebody to hit. Fautanu (No. 55) sees the edge defender drop back in coverage, so he makes himself useful by obliterating the defensive lineman next to him, and doing it in a legal way since he was engaged in a block.

This rep is really impressive. The play is coming to his side, and it doesn't stand a chance of working if Fautanu doesn't pull off this combo block. Not only does Fautanu neutralize the interior defender, but he's able to quickly jump up to the second level and manhandle a much smaller defender, finishing the block by driving him into the ground.

This combo block is no easy feat. It requires strength, technique and athleticism. And man, Fautanu has plenty of athleticism. That helps him in pass protection, run blocking and in the screen game.

Fautanu has no issue getting out into space to wall off defenders:

Fautanu does a great job in space in two very different plays. He just makes getting out in space look so easy, and then is able to lay down some heavy blocks. 

Fautanu's athleticism really makes him a better fit for a zone rushing scheme, which is most likely what the Steelers will run under Arthur Smith, who ran wide zone systems in Tennessee and Atlanta. Fautanu is already a very good reach blocker, which is when a lineman has to target the outside shoulder to seal him off on the play side when initially lined up on the inside shoulder. That's a great thing to have at tackle in zone schemes. Fautanu's athleticism is a big part of that.

But, Fautanu's ability to move well in a number of directions gives the Steelers versatility in calling run concepts. He can help get out in space, be a lead blocker or he can help seal off the back side of a play.

In pass protection, I really love Fautanu's footwork and hand usage. He's got a very quick first step off the line. He's also so fluid in how he moves with a defender, which helps him mirror pass rushers consistently. He can be very patient with his hands, and he has a lot of tools he can use to win reps against pass rushers, perhaps the most of any tackle in this class. This snatch-and-trap, which is a great way to take advantage of off-balance defenders, is just one of them:

One clip I found on social media might have blown me away the most, which not only shows Fautanu's athleticism in pass protection, but also his ability to recover when he starts to lose a rep in pass protection (language warning):

After watching this film, watching the way this guy goes about his work, it's easy to see why the Steelers love him. He's extremely athletic. He's smart. He seeks physicality. Both Tomlin and Khan talked about the passion with which Fautanu plays, and that's clear to see on film. But, I also see a very polished player that doesn't need a lot of refinement in his game.

Of course, he's not a perfect player. Despite Tomlin's dismissal in Fautanu's size being an issue, it's still something to keep in the back of your mind. With a player that seeks physicality, that often comes with being over-aggressive, which hurts Fautanu sometimes in pass protection. He'll need to be coached up a bit more to remain consistent in how he attacks NFL pass rushers.

But, we all know Tomlin would rather say, "Whoa!" than "Sic 'em." And, it's not like Fautanu struggled that much in pass protection in college. He allowed only three sacks over the past three seasons, playing 2,143 snaps during the span. He's actually more polished in pass protection than as a run blocker. 

Fautanu still needs to find a way to become more consistent in his run-blocking technique, especially in gap/man concepts. But, that shouldn't hurt the Steelers too badly if they adopt more of a wide zone system under Smith.

Neither Tomlin or Khan would commit to what side Fautanu will play, but all signs point to the right side. The lack of size should be less of a concern over there. Plus, it's important to remember that Fuatanu played left tackle for Michael Penix Jr., a left-handed quarterback. If he played right tackle, he'd be in the same situation since all of the Steelers' quarterbacks throw right-handed. There's little reason to believe a move to the right side would feel foreign to him.

For the 20th pick in the draft, this really is a slam dunk. Should the Steelers be right about Fautanu's medicals, the only true drawback to this pick is if Fautanu can't stick at tackle. But, should that happen, it's not the end of the world. James Daniels' contract is up after the 2024 season. Should the Steelers decide that tackle isn't the best fit for him after all, he could easily slide over to guard and stand a much better chance of being an absolute mauler.

For now, the Steelers got themselves one of the best offensive lineman in this class. It's something that they truly needed, regardless of what position he plays in 2024 or any years that follow.