The one UW Huskies player Seahawks shouldn’t pass on in draft
Mar 4, 2024, 6:21 PM
Troy Fautanu of the UW Huskies in action against Cal on Sept. 23, 2023. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The NFL combine was one for the ages for the UW Huskies, and that may play into one of those players staying in town by going to the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Huard: Why UW Huskies had their best NFL combine showing ever
The Seahawks own the No. 16 pick in next month’s draft, and there’s one Husky that FOX college football analyst Brock Huard said Seattle should not pass on if it gets the opportunity to take him.
Asked on Monday’s edition of Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk whose combine performance made them a fit for the Seahawks, the former Huskies quarterback landed on someone from his alma mater.
“Troy Fautanu is No. 1 on that list. He has been for me for quite some time,” Huard said.
The 6-foot-4, 317-pound Fautanu was the left tackle protecting QB Michael Penix Jr. on a standout Washington offensive line that played a big role in the Dawgs making it all the way to the national championship game last season.
Huard compares him to a former star on the Seahawks’ O-line.
“This guy just moves and finishes and is kind of like Duane Brown,” he said. “… You’ve heard me talk about the Husky offensive lineman who I watched two years ago and went, ‘Man, why is nobody talking about him?’ … He moves like he’s 6-2, 217, and he’s just nasty. Just nasty. Troy Fautanu did nothing (at the combine) but solidify my feeling that at No. 16, if he’s sitting on the board, he would be an absolute home run.”
That being said, Huard isn’t saying that it’s Fautanu or bust if the Seahawks are looking to address their offensive line early in the draft. In fact, losing out on Fautanu may actually provide the Hawks with an opportunity.
“A bunch of these offensive linemen are guys that I could absolutely and would absolutely want to see in a Seahawk uniform,” he said of the 2024 draft class. “… I would say this – just kind of big, general, 30,000-foot level, you sit there at 16 and… if a Troy Fautanu is there, I’m gonna have a hard time (to pass on him) because he gives you security for (right tackle) Abe Lucas. And if Abe Lucas is great, then (Fautanu) comes in and plays guard and you become elite on one side or the other. Elite, whatever side he would join with Abe or with (left tackle Charles Cross). At 16, I love him, but outside of 16, I think you can move back (with a trade) and still add some significant size, some significant bulk, some significant difference makers.”
Listen to the full discussion from Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk in the podcast at this link or in the player near the top of this post.
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