My thoughts on our roster...... WR's

I posted a link twice. There were other stories about it. Fautunu claimed that some team leaked that to try to get him to drop in the draft, but the report was out there before and after draft day.

 

I didn't present it as "major concerns," but it was a concern, likely enough to cause him to drop in the draft.

It took me a minute to find multiple links online, so apparently you didn't look very hard.

 

Injuries are a part pf the game, but Fautanu was flagged for concern before the draft. Mitchell, on the other hand, has no such concerns, stayed healthy as a rookie, and established himself as a quality starter in the NFL. Also, there is no doubt the 2024 Steelers would have been better if they had Mitchell instead of Fautanu. None.

Regarding the hole they have to fill, they could have an established corner. Instead, they have an unproven tackle.

 

As @Thor stated, a Lisfranc Injury and an ACL Injury were the only two major red flags of his coming out. The question now remains is if the dislocated knee he suffered this season was on the same knee that had the ACL Injury. For reference, David DeCastro tore his MCL and dislocated his kneecap during his Rookie Season but came back. Given how that was well over a decade ago, I am confident that Medical Science, Sports Medicine and Sports Rehabilitation have come a long way. That wasn't the reason why Troy Fautanu was my second favorite pick.


Injury or not, Troy Fautanu was considered a Top 10 Prospect coming out of Washington. As others stated, the major question mark was whether or not he could stick at Tackle due to a lack of perceived length. Well, having an arm length of 34.5 inches is more than enough to stick on the bookend. Not only that, possessing an 81.5 inch wingspan isn't too bad either.


Pittsburgh netting him at pick 20 was, and still is highway robbery as I see it. This incoming OT Class further vindicates Troy Fautanu's overall final Draft Grade; a Top 20 lock at worst and a Top 10 lock at best. This years OT Class is underwhelming in many ways; Will Campbell being in the same situation that Troy Fautanu was a year ago in terms of being questioned about his length. However, turn on the tape regarding Will Campbell. His tape alone justifies a Top 10 selection; much like Troy Fautanu was a year ago.

 

This is an ignorant comment. It's entirely possible that you both did research and found some different reports. I can say that in mine last year I wasn't seeing much concern tied to past injuries. That being said, it's only natural for any team to take a look at the history of a player in whom they intend to invest significant draft capital.

But you're still not correct. As I said above, the concerns weren't over whether he'd suffer another injury, it was the potential effect on his performance and longevity down the road given the ACL/Lisfranc issues he'd already dealt with.

Assuming you mean a healthy Mitchell vs. an injured Fautanu, so what? Is it your contention that having Mitchell would've gotten them significantly farther than a first-round exit? There was more going wrong with the team than the secondary at the end of the year.

 

I like how you try to dismiss a torn ACL and a Lisfranc injury as if they weren't a big deal. There was a report of concern regarding his knee before the draft, which you are also choosing to ignore. So you have a guy with a significant injury history, one who was flagged for concern going into the draft. You also have the legitimate concerns that he will have to move to guard, further diminishing his value.

Then there is Mitchell, the top corner in this rookie class, the opportunity to lock down the position for years.

All of that is what was known on draft day. Now let's add the benefit of hindsight to the mix. The tackle with injury red flags got hurt before the season, making it back long enough for one game before a season-ending injury. He has proven nothing at the pro level and the Steelers got next to nothing from their first-round pick this year because they took him.

Mitchell, on the other hand, had no such injury problems. He spent his rookie season establishing himself as a quality starter on the league's best pass defense. Had the Steelers taken him, he would have helped solidify a secondary that was erratic much of the season and downright bad during the five-game losing streak.

Take away the hindsight and maybe you have an argument worth making. With hindsight? You really don't.

 

No, it wasn't an ignorant comment. My point was that I found the report very easily. I don't know how anyone could look at 25 reports on the guy and not find it unless they chose not to find it. Sure, I'm a good researcher, but I'm not that good.

Yes, I am correct. Though teams raised the concern over longevity, the fact remains that he had suffered two major injuries. Sure, there are oddities like Curtis Martin who battle injuries in college and turn into iron men in the pros, but that is not usually how things go. There were legitimate concerns about injury with Fautanu coming out of college. It should be no surprise at all that he got hurt two more times as a rookie, the second one ending his season. If you don't have concerns over his durability now, you aren't paying attention.

We don't know what would have happened with another quality starter in the secondary. Maybe they win another game and don't have to go to Baltimore in the first round. Maybe they can do different things defensively because they aren't constantly covering up for their cornerbacks. Also, Jackson is a liability in run defense. He doesn't tackle well and we have seen him shy away from contact. Never mind that having Mitchell would have allowed them to play one of them in the slot, getting both Sutton and Bishop out of the lineup. That would have helped since they both sucked.

 

I know you weren't calling me a liar, but AQL did. It would have been nice to see him acknowledge he was wrong to do so once I presented the evidence. In my response to you, I was just pointing out that the link was there.

I'm not reaching at all. The guy had a torn ACL and a Lisfranc injury in college. He got hurt twice during his rookie season in the NFL, including a season-ending knee injury. It is fair to have concerns about injuries with him at this point.

The Steelers' luck with corners is irrelevant. What happened with Artie Burns has nothing to do with how a player drafted this year might develop.

I am not arguing that a stronger secondary is more important than a better line, but both matter, especially as much as teams pass. You've got a conference dominated by top quarterbacks. Maybe being better equipped to stop them, or at least slow them down, would be a good idea.

Fautanu might become a good player. Mitchell is one. In hindsight, that a alone makes choosing Fautanu a mistake.

Based on the available evidence, I was right on draft day to say they should ahve taken Mitchell or Barton instead of Fautanu.

 

Not only was I not pulling what I wrote out of the wrong end of my anatomy, but also you knew it when you posted that. You knew about his injury history when you posted that. Not cool.

 

I will give you the Mitchell would have been a good pick for the season. First he would not have started because Tomlin does not start rookies. Secondly he is just finishing his 1st season and the idea that he is goodor better for long term is a reach.we were staying that about Joey Porter and look what happened. Lastly Copper De Jean had a better season

 

i Believe the Ben Skowronek will be Danny Smith pick for roster. He could easily take Conner's roster spot as h back

 

I HOPE steelers trade GP and go FA route for WR and then draft another WR that is capable
of starting right away. since it looks like we are going to trot out JF at the QB position With our needs also at CB, IDL, RB, Safety
we will need to have a stellar draft. And hope to draft our Jayden Daniels in the 2026 drat.

 

Even if fields is returning. Without a franchise or good long term QB, no top WR Free agent is going to sign here. Would be better to trade for one like Jayden Reed as a number two. Think he is a good choice because Green Bay is Stacked at Wr.

 

Ha. THANKS TOMLIN!

I'm sure they had their medical staff check him out, but I was actually speaking to the general practice of all teams.

 

DeJean plays a different position, but both were better than anybody the Steelers had this past season.

Porter was a second-round pick. Mitchell doesn't have the well-earned reputation for being too handsy that Porter has had back to his Penn State days.

Tomlin does start rookies, though perhaps not from day one. He did start as a rookie as the slot corner this year. Porter played in every game and started 11 of them as a rookie.

 

Tomlin doesn't start rookies Frazier and McCormick say hi

 

Fautanu played 15 games in 23 and 13 in 22. I honestly don't think injury concerns are much of a concern.

More likely that a team that wanted him to drop or play some misdirection gave that story to the SI reporter.

Leading up to the draft it's generally good policy not to take any report at face value

 

One thing not to be overlooked is that if they had taken Mitchell they'd have, as things appear now, to have a solid second CB at worst. One can say that Fautanu should return to form in 2025, but we aren't guaranteed what that looks like (I remain hopeful). Nor are we, assuming they draft or sign a CB to pair with Porter, assured that works out either.

As I've said before, I wasn't the biggest Fautanu fan, even though I'm a proponent of building the lines. I was bigger into Mims or Lathan (if he fell), or even trading back for Guyton and picking up a mid-rounder, or maybe looking at a Barton or JPJ. I was wrong in thinking Frazier wouldn't last until their pick in the second. If I thought that would happen I would've been all for CB in the first and OT in the third, though guys like Blake Fisher went a lot earlier than expected.