Penn State Football may not have had a first-round pick in the 2023 draft after Joey Porter Jr. slid to the second-round, but the Nittany Lions may see plenty of fireworks in the first-round next season.
In Pro Football Focus’ “Way-Too-Early 2024 NFL Mock Draft”, three Nittany Lions find NFL homes within the first 20 picks.
PFF has Olu Fashanu landing at pick six with the Washington Commanders, Kalen King landing with the Chicago Bears with the 15th pick, and Chop Robinson landing with the New York Giants with the 19th pick.
What makes each Penn State Football star a potential future first rounder
Olu Fashanu
Olu Fashanu would have been in contention for the first offensive tackle off the board if he had declared for the 2023 draft.
However, with only three seasons in Happy Valley and being only 20 years old, Fashanu opted to return to Penn State and will once again be one of, if not the, top tackle in the nation in 2023.
During the 2022 season, Fashanu did not allow a sack and only allowed two pressures on 281 pass-blocking snaps. 247sports ranks Fashanu as the number seven overall player in the country for the 2023 season.
Provided Fashanu does not get injured, NFL scouts will be flocking to Happy Valley all season to catch a glimpse at the future starting left tackle for a lucky NFL franchise.
Penn State left tackle Olu Fashanu would have started this year’s draft process at my OT1. He went back to school instead. Last year he allowed 0 sacks and just 2 pressures. Pretty impressive in the Big Ten.
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) May 1, 2023
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Kalen King
The nation got a glimpse of Kalen King’s ability as CB1 when Joey Porter Jr. missed two games due to injury and opted out of the Rose Bowl.
In 2022, King was a second team All American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and a third team All-American by Pro Football Focus. King led the Big Ten in passes defended with 21 and pass breakups with 18, both of which ranked third nationally. King adds 4.4 speed to great instincts and a knack for swatting the ball.
Another year as CB1 at Penn State will put NFL teams on notice of his playmaking ability and make him a hot commodity next April.
Chop Robinson
After one season at Maryland, the former four-star product out of Maryland transferred to Penn State Football where he made an immediate impact on Penn State’s defensive line.
Although Robinson did not start a game for Penn State in 2022, Robinson tied for 7th in the Big Ten with 5.5 sacks and tied for 15th with 10 tackles for a loss.
Heading into 2023, Robinson will be a full-time starter on Penn State’s defensive line with another year under his belt to learn Manny Diaz’s defensive scheme.
Robinson has a massive upside with sub 4.5 speed and a 6-foot-3-inch frame that filled out well at Penn State at 253 pounds. Watch for Robinson to push for double digit sacks in 2023 on the way to a walk across the stage in Detroit next April.
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Education: Saint Vincent College, Penn State Law School
Location: Washington, DC
Experience:Robert Casturo has covered Penn State football for NittanyCentral since 2022. Casturo previously covered Penn State football through a social media presence (@PSU_FB_Thoughts on X) since 2019. Casturo earned his bachelor's degree from Saint Vincent College in 2015, where he was a punter for 1 season on the Saint Vincent College football team and worked in the athletic department for 2 years as a student manager. Casturo earned his JD from Penn State Law in 2018 where he was a senior editor of the Penn State Law Review.
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