Troy Fautanu acquired phrase earlier than at the moment’s observe that he can be working with the first-team offense after which proceeded to play first-team proper deal with for many of Tuesday’s observe. He had acquired some alternatives with those beforehand, however this was the primary full day of that setup.
The Pittsburgh Steelers had been bringing him alongside slowly as they do with most rookies, however they didn’t draft him within the first spherical to have him sit on the bench. Likelihood is good that he’ll begin Week 1 or quickly thereafter.
However that comes with sure expectations and the load of being a first-round choose for the Steelers. It doesn’t sound like Fautanu wants that exterior motivation, nonetheless. He has loads of expectations that he’s inserting on himself.
“I don’t assume there may be such a factor as perfection in soccer. You continuously try for it realizing that you just’re by no means gonna obtain that. However that’s the factor, is that I anticipate that for myself,” Fautanu mentioned in a clip posted by YardBarker’s Aaron Becker on X. “Regardless [of] who I’m going towards…I wish to win each single rep. That’s what was ingrained in me in school and highschool is ensuring that you just method ever single rep desirous to win it.”
In comparison with first-round OT Broderick Jones a 12 months in the past, Fautanu enters the NFL with much more school expertise. Jones had simply 19 school begins to Fautanu’s 31. He was way more of a ready-made prospect popping out with extra refined approach, although virtually all of his expertise was at left deal with. He has detailed the issue of switching sides to the proper, however Jones has been serving to him with that since he made the identical change final season.
There have been flashes of fine play from the rookie, profitable two of his three reps towards T.J. Watt throughout observe over the weekend, in response to Pittsburgh Publish-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo in his weekly Steelers fan chat.
Fautanu has no scarcity of confidence in himself.
“Simply ensuring that I’m refining any a part of my recreation. On the finish of the day, you gotta have faith the place you wanna be one of the best within the recreation,” Fautanu mentioned in a separate clip posted by YardBarker’s Becker on X. “That’s my objective, however it’s mini steps. And I do know that it’s mini steps.”
Troy Fautanu’s emergence as a top-flight offensive deal with can be an enormous turning level for the Steelers’ offense. They’ve struggled during the last three or 4 seasons for quite a lot of causes, however the offensive line has been on the high of that checklist. Together with Jones, Zach Frazier, and Mason McCormick, the Steelers might be quickly be reaching a golden period of offensive line play.
