Prospect Profile: Troy Fautanu, OL, Washington

Pass Protection

Explosive out of his stance whether it’s jump, 45 or vertical sets. He is an outstanding mover at the Tackle position, very efficient and maintains exceptional ground reactionary force and therefore leverage and play strength. Has outstanding foot speed and his hip mobility ensures he maintains the half-man relationship and always plays with great leverage. There are instances where he doesn’t manage to maintain the half-man relationship and it does cause some issues for him in pass protection. Rushers who are very athletic with excellent change of direction, or, rushers who are very powerful with outstanding play strength, when combined with a good rush plan, can cause him to over-set mostly in 45 sets which opens up his inside. Rushers with a really good plan can then use this success to open up the outside on subsequent snaps. Given how efficient his feet are, it feels like a deficiency he can rectify but it does show up on tape, regularly enough to note.

He also often appears more comfortable out on an island without TE help. Strangely for an Offensive Linemen, he’s more comfortable when rushers come from further away – he deals consistently well with wide 9 techniques, and he’s a good processor so deals with stunts and blitzers effectively too. His hand usage is also good – he most consistently wins reps with an inside strike that allows him to control the defender with his outside hand but he can also be effective with his outside strike which has great placement, timing and grip strength. He’s also good with a two-handed strike but there are times against quicker rushers when this isn’t always as well timed as his independent hands work. He’s also a good hand fighter and can re-engage when in trouble. He’s excellent against any kind of swipe or chop move as he’s accurate with his hands and remains patient as well as deploying an effective ghost hand. Because of his play strength, he has an excellent anchor.

Run Blocking

He has had remarkably little experience as a run blocker in Washington’s scheme so this is more of a projection that his pass protection. As a gap blocker he’s far more effective when he has an advantageous angle to work with like down blocking a 3 tech; this is because his fit as a run blocker has some issues – his hand placement is off, and it negates his ability to consistently finish. He is a good puller due to his foot speed; it allows him to get into close quarters with defenders who don’t see the block coming. When he has to block a 4i or 5 technique straight up, he can lose the point of attack against defensive linemen with good play strength. As a Zone/Space blocker there is more potential because of his foot speed and hip mobility but he’s inconsistent – he can reach block a 4i but can’t with a 3 tech, again because of his struggle to fit the block. He has plenty of competitive toughness and nasty to him and his athletic ability allows him to make second level blocks functional but his technique is not there yet.

SUMMARY
Left Tackle feet and the hips to deal with all types of rushers. Good hands too but some detail deficiencies in his pass pro. Run blocking is rare on tape and a work in progress.

PRODUCTION
JR: 829 snaps at Center
SO: 350 snaps at Right Guard, 44 snaps at Center
INJURY: None

RAVENS FIT
Toughness 5
Intelligence 4
Versatility 3
Grit 4
Scheme 2