Where Do Nittany Lions Fall In Post-Super Bowl NFL Draft Projections?
Another NFL season has come and gone, and weekends are officially without football until the NFL preseason.
With college and professional football staring down a few months of offseason, now’s the time for fans to dive into what their teams could look like next year. With several Penn Staters trying to make the cut for their first NFL roster, here’s where NFL insiders are saying they’ll land in this year’s draft.
Field Yates, ESPN
Field Yates placed a prediction for only one Penn Stater, Olu Fashanu, who Yates had drafted No. 10 overall and off to the New York Jets. Yates, who only put together one round in his mock draft, had Fashanu’s biggest draft competition, Joe Alt of Notre Dame, going No. 5 overall to the Los Angeles Chargers.
“There is allure for the upside of a player like Tyler Guyton (Oklahoma) and the toughness of Taliese Fuaga (Oregon State), but Fashanu is ready to anchor the blind side right away for Rodgers and has the goods to become an outstanding pro,” Yates wrote. “His tape was a little better in 2022 than 2023 from my view, but we’re still talking about one of the most impressive prospects in the class.”
Trevor Sikkema, Pro Football Focus
Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema featured three former Penn State players in his two-round mock draft. Sikkema sent Fashanu to the New Orleans Saints with the No. 14 overall selection, Chop Robinson to the Washington Commanders with the No. 36 overall pick, and Adisa Isaac to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the No. 58 overall pick.
Like Yates’ mock draft, Sikkema listed Fashanu as the second offensive tackle drafted behind Alt. Robinson and Isaac were listed as the fifth and ninth edge rushers, respectively.
Nick Baumgardner, The Athletic
Nick Baumgardner put together one of the most exhaustive mock drafts available, making predictions for more than 100 selections. Five Penn Staters made The Athletic’s list, including Fashanu (No. 7 overall, Tennessee Titans), Robinson (No. 40, Washington Commanders), Isaac (No. 61, Detroit Lions), Kalen King (No. 74, Atlanta Falcons), and Theo Johnson (No. 83, Los Angeles Rams).
“No matter what you think about the quarterback, it won’t matter if you can’t protect what you’ve got. Will Levis gave the Titans reasons to be hopeful,” Baumgardner wrote about Fashanu. “Fashanu, a mountain of a left tackle with the movement skills to erase speed rushers, would fill a huge need.”
Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports
In his one-round mock draft, Ryan Wilson pinned Fashanu and Robinson to hear their names called early, with Fashanu going to the Chargers at No. 5 overall and Robinson falling to the Cleveland Browns at No. 23 overall.
“Will Anderson Jr. was dominant as a rookie, and even if the team re-ups Jonathan Greenard, you can never have too many edge rushers. And Chop Robinson played with one of the highest motors in college football,” Wilson wrote of Robinson’s selection.
Daniel Jeremiah, NFL
Daniel Jeremiah, who works for the NFL, was consistent with most other writers in his selections. Jeremiah picked Fashanu to go to the Titans at No. 7 overall and Robinson to end up with the Buffalo Bills at No. 23 overall.
“The production won’t wow you, but the traits are there,” Jeremiah wrote about Robinson. “The Bills could suffer some losses off the edge in free agency with contracts expiring for Leonard Floyd and A.J. Epenesa. Robinson could be the new pass-rushing partner for Greg Rousseau.”
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