Steelers rookie first-rounder admits that Pittsburgh's decision to change his position has been: 'Difficult'

Pittsburgh Steelers football is finally back.

Ok, kind of...

The season is here with the full squad officially reporting to Saint Vincent College in Latrobe on Wednesday and practice starting Thursday.

That means catching up with some of the names and faces that fans are going to want hear from, including rookie first-rounder Troy Fautanu who knows what lies ahead of him over the next three weeks.

Rookie OT Troy Fautanu rearing to go

"I've been counting down the days to get back," Fautanu told reporters. "The month-long break was a lot longer for me because in college, they only give us a week. So, I felt like I was kind of just sitting around, if I wasn't working out. I'm excited to be here and ready to go...

"...I was at my apartment earlier today and that hour long drive here, I had butterflies in my stomach. I was nervous. It felt like the first day of school for me."

The 20th overall pick from Washington sort of fell into the Steelers' lap on draft night, something Pittsburgh was more than pleased with. An obvious case of just drafting the best player and figuring out the rest later, Fautanu was a natural at left tackle in college, but he won't be playing that position in Pittsburgh.

"Just hone in on my craft man," Fautanu told media when asked about changing positions. "Continuously getting reps at whatever I need to work on. The difference between left and right is just switching up the footwork, and that may sound easier than it is, but yeah, it's difficult. But I know it'll come with time, I'm just ready to take on the challenge."

Not only does Fautanu have to learn a new position, he has to battle veteran OT Dan Moore Jr. for the starting spot. Moore is also a natural left tackle, and he doesn't have the upside that Fautanu does, but his experience is likely to give him the upper hand during the early portion of camp.

But while Fautanu is nervous and excited, he's also thankful that he's getting some special treatment, something I'm sure Steelers vets are shaking their heads about...

“It was cool. It was a lot bigger than I thought,” Fautanu said when asked about his dorm room. “I thought we were going to go bunk beds... someone was going to be sleeping on the top, someone was going to be sleeping on the bottom. But I got my own room, so that’s pretty cool. I thought they were going to give me that rookie treatment. But they kind of let me off easy.”

Take it while you can Troy, because that rookie treatment is coming, and it won't be pretty when you're carrying pads and facing T.J. Watt every day.

Related: Analyst says the Steelers are getting it all wrong with Justin Fields: 'He's more than a scratch-off ticket'