2024 Chicago Bears Draft Prospect Target: Troy Fautanu |
Anytime you get this close to the NFL draft, you get a good feel for what your team is looking to do. Sure, you have the Mock Draft and the in-player meeting phase that happen first, but this is the point where you have 30 days to invite 30 players to visit your facility.
Granted, not all 30, if any, of these players will land on your roster, but the more players your team invites to your facility, the better idea they give you about their plans. While this draft is expected to be extremely top-heavy when it comes to overall talent, you also have some new names starting to push their way into the top 10 conversations. There are many reasons for that, but most likely the Player had a great combine workout or pro day in front of scouts to start gaining more recognition. One of those players was always viewed as a top 15-20 pick, but he is now starting to see himself in the top 10 conversation. He fits an area of need for the Bears, which is the main reason why the Bears are starting to show more interest in him now than before. His name is Troy Fautanu, and he was an OT for the National Runner-up Washington Huskies. When draft scouting started, Fautanu was viewed as the fourth or fifth-best OL prospect, but now some have him as high as No. 3 or even No. 2. Joe Alt is the standard when it comes to these OL prospects, but given how the board could fall, Fautanu could be available for the Bears at No. 9 and would be a massive get for this team. The 6-4, 317-pound Fautanu was one of the most consistent offensive linemen in this year's class and helped anchor a line that was the top offensive line in the country. He played a role in protecting Michael Penix, which helped the star quarterback put up the numbers he did up until the National Championship game. A third-team All-American this season, Fautanu played in all 15 games for the Huskies, earning First-Team All-Pac-12 honors in addition to his All-American honors. He also won the team's top offensive Player of the Year award over the decorated Penix and Rome Odunze. That right there is impressive in itself. In a day and age where athleticism matters, no one is saying Fautanu isn't athletic, but this is a brawler-first type of player who doesn't have much finesse in his game. Fautanu is well-coached, with starting experience at tackle and guard, making it easier for him to learn things at the next level. He can reach blocks in the zone and chaperoning running backs wide as a pulling guard on the next level. He’s a pop-and-reset pass puncher who uses active hands and feet to help with extended mirroring he’s forced into. Fautanu needs to prove he has the leverage and hand quickness to play inside, but all signs point toward him becoming an excellent future starter. Fautanu plays with excellent lateral quickness and can make all the blocks necessary to play in multiple schemes. His extremely strong legs allow him to generate a ton of power from the lower half of his body to make plays happen. Although he can get a little hand-fight happy at times, he does a great job keeping his hands and feet active as he moves across the line to maintain his blocks. If there were some things for him to work on, run blocking would be one of them. Granted, he isn't a terrible run blocker, but the Washington offense was designed in a pass-first style. When called upon to run block, Fautanu saw his technique breakdown, which at times limited the production the RBs had to his side. Fautanu loves to set the edge, but at times, he gets too eager to do that, which makes him vulnerable to getting beat on the inside. Throw in his shorter arms, making it easier for more prominent defenders to get some extension on him, and there are some technique things that he will need to iron out. Either way, Fautanu comes from a great program and is a really hard-nosed player who can take coaching. Lots of teams, including the Bears, love the makeup as he continues to climb up the draft boards.
