The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to secure their man in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. As opposed to trading up or down, they stuck to their spot and selected Troy Fautanu with the 20th overall pick. The organization even broke tradition, since neither Mike Tomlin nor Omar Khan visited Fautanu's Pro Day with the Washington Huskies. While that may be a surprise for Steeler Nation, it does not appear to be a shock to the Steelers, as they apparently had an ace up their sleeve during the draft process.
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Steelers' Omar Khan has thrived since taking over as the team's general manager in 2022.
Before Fautanu appeared for his introductory press conference, Art Rooney II was brought in to speak on him. He spoke about how they already had a man in the building that could tell the Steelers everything they needed to know about Fautanu.
"We had some inside information on Troy [Fautanu] this year because his teammate was Mark Bruener's son, so great to have Mark share some thoughts."
Mark Bruener was a former tight end for the Steelers. Ironically enough, Bruener was the last first-round pick from Washington that the Steelers made, as Rooney also mentioned in the press conference. After retiring from football in 2009, Bruener joined the Steelers as a college scout, and he is still in that position to this day -- so he was very influential on the Steelers drafting Fautanu. His son, Carson Bruener, is a linebacker for Washington
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Carson Bruener
Steelers Show Full Confidence In Fautanu
In the post-pick press conference, Tomlin had no hesitation on Fautanu's position, as he declared that they see him as an offensive tackle. Despite him being listed as a guard on many draft boards, the Steelers seem set on developing him opposite of 2023 first-rounder, Broderick Jones. It is still undetermined if he will play left tackle, right tackle, or if he will start at all to begin the season, but at least some of the questions have been answered in that department.
Tomlin also said that Washington's play selection proved that Fautanu was a "special player," as he was regularly the focal point of these plays, even though he was never an eligible receiver. That is especially impressive, considering that Fautanu was not the blindside blocker as well, as his quarterback, Michael Penix Jr., was a left-handed quarterback. That means the right tackle had to protect his blind side in that scenario.
Mike Tomlin said that schematically the way Washington designed plays "let you know that the left tackle was a special player in their eyes, just by play selection. Not very often do you watch tape and see plays being called to highlight a guy that's not an eligible."
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) April 26, 2024
The Steelers have been transparent about how they operate during the draft process, with Andy Weidl and the scouts doing most of the preparation on the draft board, while Tomlin, Khan, and Rooney select their players based off of that. Obviously, Bruener had a large say in this too.
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The Steelers had their chance to get many other players at many other positions when they were on the clock, including the top defensive back and interior offensive lineman considered by many. There were still players that Tomlin and Khan specifically scouted that were available, but Fautanu falling right in their lap was too hard to pass up.
What do you think about the Steelers getting insider information from Mark Bruener? Do you think that gave the Steelers a significant advantage in the draft process? Let us know in the comments below.
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