Name: Troy Fautanu

School: Washington

Year: Redshirt Senior 

Position: Offensive Line

Measurables: 6’4 ”, 317 lbs. (Combine Measurements)

Combine: ARM: 34 1/2”. HAND: 9 1/2”. VERTICAL: 32.5”. BROAD: 9’5”. BENCH: 29. 40-YD DASH: 5.01. 10-YD SPLIT: 1.71. 20-YD SHUTTLE: DNP.

General Info:

Fautanu spent his first season at Washington as a redshirt in 2019. In 2020, he saw playing time in all 4 of Washington’s (shortened) COVID season. 

In 2021, Fautanu worked his way up the depth chart, playing in 9 games and starting three. He started at guard for one game, and tackle for the other two. 

In his 2022 junior campaign, Fautanu started all 13 games for the Huskies. All of his starts were at the left tackle position, except for one game against Stanford when he moved inside to start at guard. 

As a senior, he started to gain national recognition in 2023. Fautanu started all of the Huskies’ 15 games at left tackle. He was also named first-team All-PAC 12 and won the PAC 12’s Morris Trophy for the top offensive lineman in the conference. His stock has skyrocketed through the 2023 season as he made his way into Mel Kiper’s top-15 players in the draft, and gained national recognition as a first-round talent.

Fautanu dislocated his shoulder against Michigan State in 2022, but played through the pain, returning in a later series to finish the game. Fautanu never missed a game once he was named starter in 2022.

Positional Skills:

Strengths
Fautanu was terrific in Washington’s zone-run scheme. He was patient, aggressive, powerful, and quick in getting to his spots and walling off defenders. His hands were a highlight of his run blocking. Once he got ahold of defenders, he showed the lower body power to stun mid-tier talents along the defensive line. He was an absolute load to get around. He showed the ability to handle defenders in this draft ranging from T’Vondre Sweat to Brandon Dorlus, Fautanu had the athleticism to quickly club defenders’ hands away to prevent pass-rush moves and the upper-body power to bury them in the ground. When he was in position, he consistently cleared running lanes for the time it took ballcarries to get past him. In the screen game (which operated as an extension of Washington’s run-pass option game), Fautanu’s vision, athleticism, low leverage, and hand technique were all consistent and dominating. Washington pulled him out in to space maybe 1-3 times per game on screens, but when they did, he was cash-money in creating space and lanes for ballcarriers.

Fautanu looked calculated and proved to be impactful in pass blocking. He had consistent approaches for defenders throughout games, perhaps a sign that his scouting of opponents and prep work during the week was diligent and effective. Washington’s Michael Penix spent a ton of time in the pocket, and Washington leaned pass-heavy in their playcalling (even if you’re counting all run-pass options as run plays). This meant D-linemen could frequently tee off in the pass rush with reckless abandon. Fautanu had the power and athleticism to meet the challenges of every defender he played against. He also frequently timed his attacks well to force edge rushers away from Michael Penix and the pocket. His testing at the combine served as confirmation bias that this guy is a plus-athlete. The last trait that certainly didn’t go unnoticed was his ability to read and react to where pressure came from. His head stayed on a swivel, and he consistently pounced on suprise rushes from slot defenders or late twists from interior linemen. 

Fautanu’s agility enabled him to make the most of his vision and power. While quickness wasn’t his calling card, it was a number he could dial up reliably to connect on blocks. He was a plus-athlete in his quickness of footwork and hand usage. When he was patient on reps, his hands unfurled quickly and furiously to neutralize defenders. 

Fautanu was a well-rounded offensive lineman who has the tools to play every position on the O-line except maybe center. His vision, power, and quickness were clearly pro-ready traits. Against a lot of tough teams in 2022 and 2023 (Michigan State, Oregon, Texas, and Michigan), he held his own and won 90% or more of his reps that I watched. The guy clearly had what it takes to win and maybe even dominate at the next level. 

Weaknesses
Against top end talent such as Michigan’s defensive line, his power proved useful, but not overwhelming. Defenders were able get around him in the run game, although it always took time to do so. 

While he won reps against guys like Sweat and Dorlus, he also lost some reps against Michigan’s Kris Jenkins (a potential first-rounder this year in his own right) and Braiden MacGregor (a nice edge player who’ll be returning to the Wolverines for the Fall of ‘24). 

At times, Fautanu played without balance—leaning over his toes and leaving himself vulnerable to pass rushers’ first and second moves. 

He occasionally took himself out of position at the snap of the ball.

Fautanu could stand to polish his technique and rely on his physical gifts once engaged with defenders. While he had the strength and relentlessness to hang in after he looked beat initially on some reps, he cost himself leverage and clean wins with high pads, leaning forward, and impatient hands.

While he was dominant often, and very consistent, I just wanted to see more consistency to take that 90-ish percent win rate closer to 99%.

Fit with the Packers:
Fautanu would fit right into the offensive line room at 1265 Lombardi Ave. Besides his impressive athletic build that we saw at the combine (which matches the profile that the Packers’ historically draft at offensive almost ominously), he also has the versatility of skills to move along either guard or tackle spot. In a year where Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom have to prove that they can replicate their success from last season, Fautanu would bring a lot of competition to the offensive line room. He would also challenge Sean Rhyan at the right guard spot, and in a competition I think Fautanu wins.

Though this draft class is deep at tackle in particular and offensive line more generally, there’s a very real possibility that NFL teams make a run on 8-10 offensive linemen in the first round. With Fautanu’s stock only increasing as the draft nears, he may not even be available at the Packers’ pick at the 25 spot. If he fell to 25, he would bring a level of competition (and possibly even security) to the tackle and guard spots that would help Jordan Love rest easier at night. While it’s hard to hope for an offensive lineman in the first round who may not win a job at tackle in his first year, the addition of Fautanu would tighten up a Packers offensive line that rounded up into great shape at the end of 2023. 

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