The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot to take into account when it comes to figuring out who they should draft. There are injury concerns, character questions, as well as usual on-field performance. There is no "perfect" player, especially when you draft as late as the Steelers consistently do. They have made some risky draft picks over the years with all the different issues around previous players. In the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, they selected Troy Fautanu, who had some problems with his knee, or so we were told.
Steelers.com
Troy Fautanu takes a picture after his introductory press conference.
As the days dwindled before the draft, Albert Breer mentioned that Fautanu had a knee issue that could flare up as time went on. He mentioned that it should be fine for now, but who knows how long it would take for it to become an issue again?
"Washington OT Troy Fautanu’s knee was flagged. That one was described to me as the sort of issue that shouldn’t be a problem in the short term, but could wind up impacting his longevity in the pros (though his high football character is a factor in making teams feel like he’ll do all he can to take care of it, and give himself the best chance)."
Any form of degenerative knee issue is an instant red flag, as that can shorten the shelf life of any player, especially a bigger player like an offensive lineman. However, Fautanu does not even believe that he has this issue, and that Breer was lied to in the process.
247 Sports
Former Washington offensive lineman Troy Fautanu celebrates a touchdown with his team.
Did Steelers Benefit From NFL Attacking Fautanu?
Fautanu appeared as a guest on Softy And Dick, which is a radio show in Seattle, Washington. In the interview, he talked about how he was flagged, but he does not understand why that happened, unless someone was trying to sabotage him.
"I have no clue [why my knee was flagged]. I talked to my agent, and he was saying that a team later in the draft might have leaked it to try and get me to fall. The last time I dealt with [my knee] was in 2021, but I've never missed any games, never missed any practices due to it, so it was kind of random, honestly."
Fautanu was the sixth offensive tackle selected in the draft. He was expected to go a little higher than 20, but it wasn't too much of a slide. Perhaps the Steelers were the team that leaked that information, forcing teams like the Cincinnati Bengals to pick a project tackle in Amarius Mims over him? Maybe it was a team that was very late in in the first round, hoping for a lucky break that did not pan out.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers General Manager Omar Khan picks up the phone in the team's war room during the 2023 NFL Draft weekend.
Either way, Fautanu's knee will hopefully not become an issue for the Steelers. Even though he was drafted later than expected, it's safe to say that Fautanu is more than happy to play for his favorite childhood team and continue in the footprints of Samoan Steelers players that came before him.
What do you think about teams around the NFL trying to sabotage Fautanu? Will his knee actually be a problem? Let us know in the comments.
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