With the departure of Tyron Smith in free agency a looming question remains for the Dallas Cowboys. Who is going to take his place? Tyler Smith was originally drafted to be that guy, but then he became an All-Pro guard. Pairing another quality left tackle to left guard capable play, like Washington Huskies Troy Fautanu, could be seen as an intriguing option.
It’s no secret that the key to the Dallas Cowboy’s scout team heart, is position flexibility. While Fautanu doesn’t necessarily provide versatility experience, he does provide versatility traits fueled by a unique blend of ideal size and movement capability. The Cowboys seem to agree as they have met with him during an official 30-visit during the pre-draft process. This is the second time the Cowboys will have met with Fautanu during the pre-draft process. Here’s a look at what his film says about his potential in the pros.
Pronounced: FAH-ooh-TAWN-oo
As a youth, Troy Fautanu relocated a few times from California, to Washington, to Utah and finally to Nevada. He attended Liberty High School in the shadows of Las Vegas. While there, Fautanu played both ways along the offensive and defensive lines earning a state championship, All-State honors, a four-star recruitment rating and an impressive amount of scholarship offers.
He decided to attend the University of Washington to play for the Huskies for five seasons. He redshirted in 2019, his first season, and did not play. Fautanu would ride the bench for the 2020 season, but retained the year of eligibility due to emergency covid rules. 2021 he played in a backup role amassing about 200 snaps as a left tackle and about 50 snaps playing left guard. Fautanu would ascend to a starting role on the depth chart as a left tackle in 2022, a role he would retain through the 2023 season.
Fautanu would be recognized for his performance on the football field by being awarded All-American third team and All-Pac-12 first team honors.
GENERAL NOTES:
• Nevada native
• 2023 All-America Third Team (Associated Press)
• 2023 Morris Trophy Winner
• 2023 All-Pac-12 First Team
• 2022 All-Pac-12 Second Team
• 2020 Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
• HS – All-State
• HS – Dual sport athlete: volleyball
Participating in the NFL Scouting combine, Reese’s Senior Bowl and the Washington football pro day workouts helped NFL scouts gauge who he is as an athlete.
Injury history: 2019 Foot surgery (Missed some fall camp)
Analysis: Wore #55 at Washington and stands with a shorter yet full frame at 6’ 3″ and a weight of 317 pounds, aligns with the standard for offensive tackles (OT) in terms of mass. His wingspan and arm length are within the average range, as is his hand size.
• Overall: Short full frame with adequate reach and excellent athleticism
• Notably faster compared to the average OT prospect
• Explosive jumps compared to the average OT prospect
Games Watched: Michigan (2023) Texas (2023) Oregon x2 (2023) Oregon St (2022) Stanford (2022)
Best Game: Michigan (2023)
Worst Game: Stanford (2022)
Fautanu is highly regarded for having the best movement in his class, complemented by a dense frame. He adapted to a run blocking scheme change from zone heavy in 2022 to a balanced gap vs zone in 2023. His footwork technique is solid, maintaining knee bend, operating effectively in space, pulling across the line, and climbing to the second level. He consistently remembers his base in his pass sets and is alert to stunts and blitzes. His pass blocking proficiency is notable, ranking 8th among offensive tackles (OTs) in 2023 and 68th in 2022.
POSITIVES:
• Best movement in the class
• Dense frame
• Experienced a run blocking scheme change in 2022 (zone heavy) to 2023 (balanced gap vs zone)
• Maintains knee bend
• Operating in space
• Pulling across the line of scrimmage
• Climbing to second level
• Remembers his base
• Alert/aware to stunts/blitzes
• Ranked 8th in the country in pass blocking grade among OTs in 2023
• Ranked 68th in the country in pass blocking grade among OTs in 2022
Fautanu drawbacks include being 23 years old at draft night and having an injury history that includes a 2019 foot surgery. While he moves well, his play strength and accuracy in space need improvement. Fautanu tends to lean into his run blocking assignments and is not considered a dominant run blocker. His pad level and leverage could be better given his height, and his hand technique and snap anticipation require refinement. Fautanu is a 5-year player with just 2 years as a starter, he allowed 2 sacks in 2023 and has accumulated 15 career penalties, with 6 occurring in 2023.
NEGATIVES:
• 23 years old on draft night
• 2019 foot surgery
• Play strength should improve
• Moves well in space, but can be inaccurate
• Leans in to his run blocking assignments
• Not a dominant run blocker
• Pad level/leverage should be better at his height
• Hand technique
• Snap anticipation
• 5 year player, 2 year starter
• 2 sacks allowed in 2023
• 15 career penalties
• 6 penalties in 2023
If the Cowboys were to select Fautanu, they would be faced with a high stakes decision in regard to how they want to protect their All-Pro quarterback, Dak Prescott’s blindside.
Do they move a proven talent in Tyler Smith, who is 6 months younger than Fautanu by the way, back to left tackle and run the risk of losing an All-Pro caliber starter? Or, do they keep the All-Pro at left guard and run the risk of positioning an unproven rookie talent on the bookend?
Maybe the Cowboys believe Fautanu’s elite movement is an indication that he can switch sides of the offensive line to right tackle and replace Terence Steele.
Only time will tell.
Size: 89
Speed/Agility: 98
Power: 89
Pass Blocking: 92
Run Blocking: 91
Hand Technique: 91
Footwork: 92
Football IQ: 92
Overall Grade: 91.75 (2nd Round grade)
Overall Projection: 2nd Round Projection