The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't get to see too much of offensive tackle Troy Fautanu last season after drafting him No. 20 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. If they could go back and do it over again, ESPN's Brooke Pryor believes the Steelers would do things differently.
In a 2024 NFL Draft do-over posted Tuesday, Pryor said the Steelers would've instead picked up Amarius Mims . Mims was taken by Cincinnati at No. 18 in the actual draft, but slid two picks back after the Bengals instead went with outside linebacker Chop Robinson in the re-draft.
"The Steelers could consider keeping Fautanu in this spot, but he's tough to evaluate after he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 2," Pryor wrote. "Mims also battled through injuries, but he had a solid season and was especially key in pass-blocking situations. Drafting Mims could've allowed the Steelers to move Broderick Jones to the left side and insert Mims at right tackle."
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Troy Fautanu during a preseason game against the Houston Texans on Aug. 9, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Mims, who stands 6-foot-8 and weighs 340 pounds, made 13 starts paving the way for Cincinnati and protecting Joe Burrow as a rookie.
"He's a big man who moves better than 99.9% of other people that are his size" Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher told ESPN in October. "And there's not many people walking this earth that are his size. He's got all the tools."
Fautanu, meanwhile, was injured in a practice before his team's clash with the Los Angeles Chargers early in the season. After starting just one game, Fautanu was placed on injured reserve.
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