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Troy Fautanu, IOL, Washington (Junior)

Picture of Rayane M

Rayane M

Back for the 2024 NFL Draft edition, The Trick Play team is once again offering to immerse you in the heart of the event through the scouting reports of Rayane and Valentin. Who will become the next gem of the pro world and who, on the contrary, risks a spectacular flop?
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Strengths :

  • Great athlete
  • Good strength
  • Plays with good pad level
  • Nice punch
  • Technically clean
  • Very comfortable on zone schemes
  • nasty side

 

Weaknesses :

  • Wingspan
  • A few technical points needs work
  • Ability to lock his blocks
  • Footwork

TTProfil

 
Given the time I've spent watching the Washington Huskies since Kalen DeBoer took over the program (now gone to replace Nick Saban at Alabama), it's no surprise that Troy Fautanu was on my shortlist. It's time for me to release a scouting report, perhaps followed by one for Roger Rosengarten (depending on the time I have before the draft).
 
How can we not start this scouting report by discussing Troy's truly impressive athletic abilities? While his excellent explosiveness is immediately apparent, we shouldn't overlook his impressive mobility and agility. Several times during games, Fautanu has showcased his very interesting athletic abilities, which were further confirmed and highlighted for the general public during the NFL Combine, where Troy excelled.

While we've focused on his mobility so far, Fautanu is not lacking in power either. While he may not be an absolute powerhouse, he maintains good strength both in his upper and lower body. Having developed his physique extensively in both areas gives him a well-rounded edge, allowing him to secure blocks with the power of his upper body and withstand the charges of powerful players with the strength of his lower body.
Another strength that stems directly from Troy's strong legs is his ability to play with a low pad level and maintain good leverage throughout the game. Thanks to this leverage, he often benefits from optimal leverage, allowing him to gain an advantage over his opponents.

The power in his upper body also allows him to generate a strong punch, which he doesn't hesitate to use to close the distance with his opponents. His hands are active and quick, and when executed well, his punch disrupts the defender's rhythm, enabling Fautanu to better engage in the block.

What I really like about Troy is that he often shows good progression between his initial responsibility and his engagements at the second level. He doesn't rush into taking on blocks; instead, he ensures he secures his primary responsibility before advancing to engage a second-level player. Sometimes, he opts not to engage if he can't do so securely for his ball carrier, which is a positive trait. Rather than always aiming for the big play and risking being caught out, Troy prefers to secure the 4 yards for his ball carrier.

A new aspect that will certainly have a real impact on his selection in the upcoming draft is that Fautanu excels whenever asked to block on the move. Whether it's Zone blocks, Reach blocks, Pulls, or Traps, Fautanu demonstrates good impact and generally takes good blocking angles. This is promising for a team employing a modern offensive scheme, as more and more teams are seeking these kinds of profiles on the offensive line.
 
Finally, I've noticed a good nasty streak in Troy. He's a player who enjoys playing, but even more so dominating his opponent. He shows a good tendency to play with violence (in the right sense of the term), enjoys trash talk, loves competition, and always seeks to finish on top of his adversary. It's the kind of mentality I really like on the offensive line or in the trenches in general.
 
But Troy Fautanu is not without his flaws, starting with his small wingspan, which can occasionally cause him trouble. Indeed, Troy can sometimes be caught off guard by defenders with a longer reach and more power, allowing them to keep Troy at bay. When this happens, Fautanu can really struggle to secure the block, which doesn't make him the all-risk insurance at the tackle position when considering the kind of aliens he may face in the pros.

I also noted a few technical imperfections here and there that will require some work to be corrected. While Troy is generally a fairly clean player technically speaking, there are a few small errors in his hand placement that can be recurring, as well as in his footwork, particularly in pass protection situations. Although he has sometimes been able to make highlight-reel plays to make up for these errors (I particularly recall the play where he spun to recover his man), he won't have the luxury of making such mistakes in the NFL, where the game is faster and every error comes at a cost.
 
To elaborate on his pass protection ability, if the team that selects Fautanu decides to keep him at tackle (which, in my opinion, may not be the best course of action), he will need to be very careful not to overcommit to the outside in his pass protection. When this happens, Troy becomes vulnerable on the inside and can be caught off balance more easily by outside-inside moves. This is a crucial point to work on if the team that drafts him plans to keep him at tackle because defenses at the NFL level are on a completely different level both in terms of footballing ability and athleticism. They often play with significant width to take advantage of optimal one-on-one situations, and in such scenarios, a team may seek to capitalize on this weakness in Fautanu's game.

Finally, from a technical standpoint, Troy still struggles to fully engage his chest with the defender in order to lock him down completely in the block. Because of this, the defender can sometimes take advantage of this slight separation to make a play. Also, when it comes to sealing his blocks, especially in running situations, Troy will need to continue working on his ability to get past the hips to finish the block definitively and create a clean rushing lane for the ball carrier because it's not quite mastered yet. If he or the team that picks him decides to transition him to the guard position as I personally wish, this is something he will absolutely need to learn in order to dominate in the trenches.

 
To wrap up with Troy Fautanu, I would say that the 23-year-old player (turning 24 in his rookie season) is a player whose performances in college football should translate well to the NFL. He also demonstrated at the Combine that what we saw on the field was indeed real and not embellished by facing average competition. He proved during the national championship game against Michigan that he absolutely belongs on the field.
 
In short, the team that selects Fautanu should, unless I'm mistaken, end up with a solid player capable of performing well in both passing and rushing situations, with a good ability to operate in a Zone Scheme-oriented offense. Fautanu seems particularly promising in this regard, where his athletic and technical abilities fit perfectly. That said, while I believe Fautanu has what it takes to have a career as a Tackle, I am confident in saying that his ceiling remains limited in that position, whereas he could be a Pro Bowl-caliber player as a Guard. While the position may be less glamorous than Tackle, the star system that comes with it is also weaker, and ultimately the player would stand to gain by remaining at Tackle when considering the salary difference. But for me, there's no doubt. Troy has that something that makes me believe he could be a special player on the inside, whereas he seems more conventional as a Tackle.
 
For all these reasons, I believe Troy Fautanu will have earned a selection in the second round of the draft. Depending on the rush on offensive linemen, I wouldn't be surprised to see him go in the first round, but I wouldn't necessarily agree with it. Based on what he shows and the promise he holds for the future, I'm not sure I'd be willing to spend a first-round pick on him as a Tackle. However, as I mentioned, if a team wants him as a Guard and isn't confident he'll still be available in the second round, I can understand reaching for him after the top 20-25 picks, but never before then.
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