Flashy tools play well at offensive line for some prospects, but being versatile and reliable is just as — if not more — important. With his 2024 NFL Draft scouting report, Washington’s Troy Fautanu checks all of these boxes and has merit as an early first-round pick.
Troy Fautanu’s Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’3 3/4″”
- Weight: 317 pounds
- Length: 34 1/2″
- Wingspan: 81 1/2″
- Hand: 9 1/2″
- Position: Offensive Line
- School: Washington
- Current Year: Redshirt Senior
Whether you prefer experience or pedigree in offensive line prospects, Fautanu has both on his side.
Fautanu was a four-star recruit and a top-250 national talent coming out of Liberty High School in the 2019 recruiting cycle. Then listed as a guard, he joined up with the Huskies despite fielding offers from USC and Notre Dame.
Fautanu redshirted in 2019 and served as a reserve lineman in 2020, but in 2021, he got his first career starts — two at left tackle and one at left guard.
Over the following two seasons, Fautanu proved to be a mainstay at left tackle. He was a full-time starter in both 2022 and 2023, and in the latter campaign, he earned first-team All-Pac-12 recognition.
After a storied Huskies career — one that culminated in a Pac-12 Championship and a CFP National Championship game appearance — Fautanu embarked on the path to the 2024 NFL Draft, where he only continued to rise.
Troy Fautanu is one of the most versatile OL prospects in the draft and could be a difference-making presence early and often. 💪#GoHuskies | #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/ALnKKeyRKk
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) April 26, 2024
Fautanu opted not to participate at the Senior Bowl, but by the NFL Combine, he was fresh, ready to test, and put up elite athletic numbers. At his size, he logged a 5.01-second 40-yard dash with a 1.7-second 10-yard split, a 32.5″ vertical, a 9’5″ broad jump, and 29 bench reps — all good for a Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.64.
Whether or not Fautanu would go Round 1 was once a question. But now, it’s trending toward being more of a certainty. The real question is: How high off the board can he go?
Fautanu’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Well-built blocker with an exceptional mix of natural leverage and proportional length.
- Unnaturally elastic, energetic athlete with snappy hip flexibility and corrective mobility.
- Effortlessly matches with nimble lateral mobility and has superb recovery athleticism.
- Acquires and maintains leverage at a high level and routinely stays square with rushers.
- Boasts elite balance on recovery, effortlessly hinging his hips to regain leverage.
- Can leverage his explosiveness and length into great point-of-attack and hand power.
- Has great range and angle awareness on run plays, clearing out second-level zones.
- Flexibility allows him to drop the anchor against power and stall out opposing drive.
- Knows how to use his base alignment to funnel rushers into areas they can be corralled.
- Processing speed shows in his instant foot recalibration and adaptability with base.
- Instant counter-reaction speed allows him to nullify spins and other lateral moves.
- Can leverage his hips into powerful extensions and lock rushers outside the corner.
- Gets excellent depth on his kick and can vary his tempo and alignment up the apex.
- Can gather stunting rushers with successive punches while staying in phase.
- Patient protector who can pummel EDGEs with fast, violent hands and snatch-and-traps.
Weaknesses
- At times, can better channel his full explosive capacity off the snap.
- Doesn’t always have the quantifiably elite core strength to totally suffocate bull rushes.
- Hands don’t always carry elite knock-back force, sometimes failing to jar opponents.
- Sometimes pulls in his back leg too much extending versus power, inhibiting balance.
- Occasionally shortens the corner too much off the snap, allowing easy paths outside.
- On occasion, can be a bit uncontrolled when matching vertically, losing his balance.
- Placement with outside hand could be more precise at times to better corral rushers.
- At times, can be a tick late recorrecting outside when blitz threats inside draw attention.
- Will turn 24 years old in October of his rookie year.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Fautanu grades out as a top-15 prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft on my board and one of the top offensive linemen in the class. He could feasibly command early Round 1 capital and would be an exceptional value acquisition in the mid-to-late first-round range with tackle and guard utility.
Fautanu has one of the more unique physical builds in the 2024 NFL Draft. He measures a notch under 6’4″, yet he has exceptional mass and proportional length and moves very well for his size — particularly as a short-area and lateral mover.
Fautanu has all of the necessary athletic components, and he’s also incredibly flexible and nimble in recovery. Beyond those tools, he’s one of the best pass protectors in the class — possessing balance, leverage, adaptable footwork, active and violent hands, and sharp processing speed.
Where Fautanu falls short isn’t with glaring flaws but rather with non-elite traits — and even then, he’s passable in all areas. He might not be quite as powerful or as strong as some of the elite physical specimens at the top of the OT class, and he’s also an older prospect, as he’s set to turn 24 next October.
MORE: 2024 NFL Draft Big Board
Having said all this, it’s truly difficult to nitpick Fautanu’s profile. As one might expect from an older prospect, he has an incredibly high floor and also has the athleticism, flexibility, and length to buoy an impact starter ceiling in the NFL.
At either tackle or guard, Fautanu can be an impact starter and a difference-making presence early and often, and his athleticism and football IQ serve to afford him vast schematic versatility on Day 1.
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