Tag: Olumuyiwa Fashanu

2023 Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 74 Olumuyiwa Fashanu

What may be Penn State’s best offensive line under James Franklin starts with the return of Olu Fashanu at left tackle.

Going into the 2023 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster. Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season.

Today we take a look at perhaps Penn State’s top NFL draft prospect on the roster in 2023, offensive tackle [autotag]Olumuyiwa Fashanu[/autotag]. Fashanu’s decision to come back for another year of college football was a surprising one for NFL draft experts who had Fashanu as a likely first-round draft pick in 2023. That should be great news for Penn State’s offensive line outlook, which looks to be its best under James Franklin heading into the fall. IT starts with the return of Fashanu. Here is a snapshot look at Fashanu heading into the 2023 college football season.

Colts select OT Olu Fashanu in ESPN’s 2024 mock draft

In ESPN’s latest Round 1 mock draft for 2024, the Colts added Penn State OT Olu Fashanu.

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Though the Indianapolis Colts are not focused on the upcoming draft just yet, ESPN rolled out their latest Round 1 projections for the 2024 offseason, courtesy of Jordan Reid.

In these latest projections, the Colts added a potential franchise left tackle with the No. 4 overall pick, selecting Penn State offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu.

A major part of the Colts’ outlook hinges on the development of left tackle Bernhard Raimann. If he builds on his solid second half of the 2022 season and takes the next step, Indy could approach this pick differently. But for the time being, the Colts must add more protection for quarterback Anthony Richardson.

Many scouts believed Fashanu would’ve been the first offensive tackle taken in the 2023 draft, but he opted to return to Happy Valley for another season. He is an explosive and well-balanced tackle with the mirror-and-match ability to handle most edge rushers. He’s still filling out his frame, but Fashanu has the ideal length and strength to generate movement as a run blocker, too.

Potential needs: OT, EDGE, CB

It will be interesting to see how we view the needs of the Colts entering next offseason. So much will take place that it’s nearly impossible to know for sure what their plans will be.

However, it wouldn’t be a surprise if left tackle will be near the top of their priority list. Even if Bernhard Raimann continues to progress, there’s always the possibility they move him to right guard and add an elite prospect at left tackle.

Fashanu is likely to be considered the top offensive tackle prospect in the class if he continues to progress the way he did in 2022 so his name will certainly be one to watch during the upcoming college football season.

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Top three offensive tackles in Big Ten for 2023

No Buckeyes make the top offensive tackle list #GoBucks #B1G

The Big Ten is known for its powerful offense and great offensive lines, but I am not so sure that will be the case this year. At the offensive tackle position, there are two top-flight, elite-level possible first-round draft choices and then there are a few guys with the potential to break out.

The two top-flight prospects are numbers one and two, but the order of those players will surprise most. The third player chosen isn’t even a projected starter by most pundits but was a highly recruited kid with some serious hype.

Ohio State fans may be a little disappointed by the absence of Buckeyes, but when comparing what resides in Columbus to the rest of the conference, it makes sense.

Titans take another OL in PFN’s 2024 mock draft

The Titans take an offensive lineman in PFN’s 2024 mock draft.

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Mock draft season is a highly polarizing time in which some fans enjoy the constant pre-draft discourse, while others find the whole thing pointless and a waste of time considering everyone’s opinion is essentially meaningless at the end of the day.

Therefore, you could imagine how the latter of those fans feel about mock drafts an entire year beforehand.

Despite not knowing how a potential prospect will perform in 2023, the draft order, or even who will be available, many still enjoy taking their shot in the dark.

Dalton Miller of Pro Football Network recently took his at predicting how next year’s first round play out, and he has the Titans picking Penn State offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu with the No. 7 pick in the draft.

Miller goes on to explain his rationale below:

Andre Dillard might finally show us why he was a first-round pick in 2019, or he could show us why Jordan Mailata quickly proved the better option in Philadelphia. But even if Dillard plays well, the Tennessee Titans will likely still need to address right tackle, especially with their particular offensive attack.

Clearly, the Pro Football Network analyst doesn’t have too much faith in the Titans’ immediate future based where he projects them to pick from.

However, if this is how the Titans’ 2024 draft plays out, the possibility of pairing Fashanu with Peter Skoronski on the same offensive line could eventually place Tennessee back in the best offensive line conversation sooner rather than later.

With that said, you probably have a better likelihood of hitting the lottery than you do of predicting how the NFL draft will play out 10 months in advance.

Also, unless you’re banking on another injury-riddled season, it’s hard to envision a Mike Vrabel-led team finishing with a top-seven pick.

Nevertheless, only time will tell how all this plays out over the coming months.

Colts add potential franchise OT in early 2024 mock draft

In an early 2024 mock draft, the Colts added a potential bookend OT.

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The Indianapolis Colts are currently on break preparing for the 2023 season, but it’s never too early to take a look at what the 2024 NFL draft may have in store.

In Touchdown Wire’s latest mock draft, the Colts held the No. 3 overall pick. After USC’s Caleb Williams and Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. both went to the Arizona Cardinals with the first two picks, the Colts added a potential bookend offensive tackle.

They used the selection in this mock on Penn State offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu.

There’s a good chance Fashanu will be near the top of the board by the time next April rolls around. He already was given a first-round grade in the 2023 draft before opting to spend one more season at Penn State.

An intriguing blend of size, length and athleticism, the question marks around Fashanu come with experience. He’s seen roughly 600 snaps as a starter in college and even though the tape he’s put on the field is extremely encouraging, he opted to return to school for one more season.

If the Colts wind up holding the No. 3 overall pick, it would be interesting to see if there would be a bidding war for the second quarterback in the draft. Whether that’s Williams, UNC’s Drake Maye or another prospect remains to be seen.

But depending on how the Colts perform in 2023, they could be in a position to either take an elite prospect at a premium position or move back to add more assets in order to build around Anthony Richardson.

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2024 NFL first-round mock draft: 2023 NBA draft edition

Now that the 2023 NBA draft is done, what better time than now to run another 2024 NFL first-round mock draft?

Now that the 2023 NBA draft is in the bag, what better excuse can we at Touchdown Wire have to do another 2024 NFL mock draft? The 2023 college football season is still weeks away, and it’s the dead part of the NFL timeline, so while we don’t think we’ll see any insane deals like the one the Wizards and Suns pulled off (unless the Rams decide to get weird again), it is time to start thinking about what NFL teams will need after the 2023 season and after 2024 free agency.

This time, the draft positions are courtesy of the Pro Football Network mock draft simulator, with no first-round trades during the simulation.

Without further ado, here’s one version of how the first round of the 2024 NFL draft might look.

2023 Buckeyes Wire Preseason All-Big Ten team: Offensive Linemen

We dive into our predictions for the All-Big Ten offensive line. #GoBucks #B1G

The 2023 college football season is right around the corner and the Big Ten is loaded with top-notch talent and predicting who will end up on the All-Big Ten has proven challenging. Not only was it hard to choose one player over another, but it was also hard to admit that the Michigan Wolverines have a number of studs that will potentially wreak havoc on the rest of the conference.

This list is going to dive into the offensive linemen and as expected the Big Ten has some dominant offensive linemen that make it very hard to narrow it down to just five. This list will not make Ohio State fans happy, but the reality is there is some elite talent in the trenches of the Big Ten.

In the age of the transfer portal, it is possible for a complete dark horse to rise as a frontrunner, but we will do our best to provide the most educated guess based on previous performances and situations.

Touchdown Wire mock draft has three Penn State players in first round in 2024

This new mock draft from Touchdown Wire has THREE Penn State players projected as first-round draft picks in 2024.

When [autotag]Olumuyiwa Fashanu[/autotag] announced his decision to return to Penn State for one more season, many were surprised by the news. After all, Fshanue had been projected to be a possible first-round draft pick in the 2023 NFL draft. But a return for another year of college football could actually boost his overall draft outlook according to a new mock draft from Touchdown Wire.

Touchdown Wire’s latest way-too-early mock draft has Fashanu being the fourth overall pick in next season’s NFL draft, with the Indianapolis Colts being the team in the fourth spot of the draft.

The Colts drafting an offensive lineman with a first-round pick would seem to make some sense given the team just drafted a quarterback in the first round of the 2023 draft with Anthony Richardson out of Florida. The Colts didn’t add any offensive line help in the 2023 draft until the fourth round with Blake Freeland out of BYU. The Colts also drafted Jake Witt from Michigan in the seventh round, which likely means the team will be more vested in beefing up the offensive line in the 2024 NFL draft.

If this mock draft holds true, Fashanu would be the second non-quarterback selected in the 2024 draft and the second Big Ten player chosen in the first four picks. USC quarterback Caleb Williams is projected as the first overall pick (by the Arizona Cardinals). Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. would also go to the Cardinals with the second overall pick (from the Houston Texans). North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye is projected to go third overall, to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, before Fashanu goes off the board.

Fashanu is not the only Penn State player in the first round of this new mock draft from Touchdown Wire. Cornerback Kalen King also makes an appearance in the first round with the New England Patriots using the 12th overall pick to select one of the nation’s top cornerbacks in college football. The Chicago Bears actually get the first cornerback off the board with the 11th pick on Kool-Aid McKinstry of Alabama, but it seems the case is there to be made that King is unquestionably one of the best cornerbacks on the big board.

Adding to the first-round selections is edge rusher [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag]. Touchdown Wire has Robinson returning closer to home as the Baltimore Ravens are slated to use the 22nd overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft to bring the Maryland native back home to play professional football. Honestly, that feels like a perfect fit too, and Robinson would join former Penn State first-round pick [autotag]Odafe Oweh[/autotag] on the Baltimore defense.

Check out the full first-round mock draft from Touchdown Wire. We’ll keep tabs on how Penn State’s players move up and down throughout the mock draft process leading up to next spring’s NFL draft.

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Athlon Sports: Penn State football has 13 on preseason All-Big Ten for 2023

Penn State had the third-most players appearing on the preseason All-Big Ten list from Athlon Sports.

It’s that time of the year again when the preseason college football previews start making the rounds. Athlon Sports has not sent its annual preseason publication to the magazine racks just yet, but it has shared its preseason all-conference teams for the upcoming 2023 college football season.

The preseason All-Big Ten list from Athlon Sports was published earlier this week, and it included 13 players from Penn State’s roster scattered throughout its four-deep all-conference team. Yes, four-deep, because it is likely the best way to spread the word with school press releases and social media impressions. Only Michigan and Ohio State had more players listed than the Nittany Lions among Big Ten teams, which may be something that has come to be expected.

Here are all of the Penn State football players to make the Athlon Sports preseason All-Big Ten team.

Todd McShay reveals Patriots’ first-round pick in 2024 NFL mock draft

Who does Todd McShay have the Patriots selecting in his 2024 NFL mock draft?

The New England Patriots made defense the primary focus in the 2023 NFL draft, but ESPN’s Todd McShay has things flipping to the offensive side of the ball in his recent 2024 NFL mock draft.

No, the Patriots aren’t making some blockbuster trade up to land Marvin Harrison Jr. (sorry, Patriots fans), but McShay does have them addressing a need along the offensive front by taking Penn State offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu with the No. 9 overall pick.

The fact that McShay has the Patriots picking at No. 9 doesn’t bode well for their 2023 season. However, they do come away with some offensive line help to keep Mac Jones upright for his fourth season, assuming he’s still the quarterback under center in 2024.

Fashanu, the 2022 Second-team All-Big Ten lineman, was already making waves as a sophomore, and he’ll be looking to take off to the moon in his junior season.

Trent Brown is playing on the last year of his contract, and the Patriots signed 34-year-old veteran Riley Reiff to a one-year deal in free agency. Keep in mind, the team didn’t draft an offensive tackle in this year’s draft.

So filling that position could be a top priority by the next draft cycle.

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