Olu Fashanu’s exceptional journey began at the tender age of 4 when he enrolled in kindergarten at Queen of the Apostle Elementary School in Waldorf, Maryland. His journey continued as he blossomed into a towering 6-foot-6, 312-pound athlete. Now, as a member of Penn State’s talented football team, Fashanu is poised to become the first of his teammates to be selected in this year’s NFL Draft.
Fashanu’s exceptional abilities have not gone unnoticed. The Athletic ranks him as the No. 2 offensive tackle prospect and the No. 12 overall prospect, trailing only Notre Dame’s Joe Alt. NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has placed Fashanu among the top four tackles in this year’s draft class, along with Alt, Taliese Fuaga of Oregon State, and J.C. Latham of Alabama.
According to Jeremiah, these four players possess distinct strengths, but they all share exceptional talent. Fashanu, in particular, boasts an ideal frame and length, making him a ready-to-play asset for any team. Jeremiah believes Fashanu can excel on both the left and right sides of the offensive line.
While there is some uncertainty about whether Fashanu will be drafted in the top 10, Jeremiah believes he will not be available when the Pittsburgh Steelers select at No. 20. Fashanu’s impressive performance against Ohio State is seen as a potential area for improvement, but overall, his tape is considered solid.
Fashanu leads a group of 10 Penn State players who have been invited to the NFL Combine. Edge rusher Chop Robinson, another highly touted prospect, is projected to be selected in the first or second round. He ranks No. 26 in The Athletic’s top 100 prospects and No. 4 among edge rushers.
Robinson’s teammate and edge partner, Adisa Isaac, may have to wait until the second or third round for his name to be called. Despite not starting to play football until his freshman year of high school, Isaac has proven to be a valuable player for Penn State, accumulating 14.5 career sacks.
Other Penn State players who could be selected in later rounds include offensive tackle Caeden Wallace, center Hunter Nourzad, linebacker Curtis Jacobs, cornerback Daequan Hardy, and cornerbacks Kalen King and Johnny Dixon. Hardy and Nourzad received pre-draft visits from the Steelers.
From West Virginia University, center Zach Frazier is rated as the No. 3 prospect at his position by The Athletic and could be a first- or second-round pick. He earned second-team All-American honors last season and impressed at the combine with 30 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press. Frazier has also visited with Steelers officials.
Another Mountaineers draft hopeful is cornerback Beanie Bishop, who has played for three different collegiate programs during his six-year career. Bishop ended last season as a consensus All-American, having recorded four of his career seven interceptions.
Christian McCaffrey’s brother, Luke McCaffrey, has also received a pre-draft invitation from the Steelers. The former WVU wide receiver and quarterback at Nebraska and Rice could potentially be selected in the later rounds of the draft.
