Inside The Huskies

Ex-Husky Troy Fautanu Developing Strong NFL Draft Following

The talented offensive tackle appears to be a middle first-round selection.
Dan Raley|
Ex-Husky Troy Fautanu Developing Strong NFL Draft Following
Ex-Husky Troy Fautanu Developing Strong NFL Draft Following

In this story:

Washington Huskies

Rome Odunze almost exclusively remains a top 10 NFL draft pick at wide receiver, with nothing changing there.

The analysts still can't decide if they like quarterback Michael Penix Jr. or not, even after watching him do his thing in the Sugar Bowl against Texas and in Senior Bowl practices in Alabama, with them more often then not labeling the left-hander as a second-round selection. 

Edge rusher Bralen Trice likewise seems to have been pegged as a second-rounder and is holding steady there.

No, two months before the pro football talent grab takes place, the former University of Washington football player who suddenly seems to have been discovered by all of the draft-niks who have locked themselves in dark rooms and been immersed in deep film study is offensive lineman Troy Fautanu, who recently has shot up the draft boards.

Mel Kiper Jr., the iconic NFL talent scout of them all, lists the 6-foot-4, 317-pound Fautanu as the top offensive guard available, though the Nevada native hasn't played that position since early 2022.

A quick perusal of the mock drafts has most people picking Fautanu from No. 14 to 21, which seems like an appropriate position for a seasoned player to land who received the Pac-12's Morris Trophy as the league's top offensive lineman after showing quick feet, violent hands and plenty of attitude.

“He’s one of my top 15 players on the big board — I have no problem with him going high," Kiper said. "He’s a safe pick. You talk about smart and a mean streak. It’s smart and tough."

What's even better are the smorgasboard of overly colorful descriptives and dig-deep insights fleshed out to size up the former Husky lineman.

Oliver Hodgkinson of Pro Football Network offered the following assessment, "He's a stout pass-protector with awe-inspiring power and dangerous intentions."

Jack Ellenbogen noted how Fautanu drew 14 penalties over the past two seasons of his Husky football career and suggested the following, "I wouldn't be surprised if it's worse in the NFL with all the calls he got away with."

Daniel Jeremiah, a former college quarterback turned NFL scout now NFL.com analyst, had this to say about Fautanu, "He redirects smoothly and is a nasty helper when uncovered. His biggest issue is when he gets overaggressive and loses his balance trying to pummel pass rushers instead of playing with more patience."

And this from Lance Zierlien of NFL.com, who has our favorite breakdown of Fautanu's game: "Ready-made brawler without an ounce of finesse in his game."

To hear all these guys talk, Fautanu might get arrested and drafted.

Go to si.com/college/washington to read the latest Inside the Huskies stories — as soon as they’re published. Not all stories are posted on the fan sites.

Find Inside the Huskies on Facebook by searching: Inside Huskies/FanNation at SI.com or https://www.facebook.com/dan.raley.12

Follow Dan Raley of Inside the Huskies on Twitter: @DanRaley1 or @UWFanNation or @DanRaley3

Have a question, direct message me on Facebook or Twitter.

Published
Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

Home/Football