Just three and a half weeks out from the 2024 NFL draft, Penn State Football offensive tackle Olu Fashanu remains in contention to be Penn State‘s first offensive lineman drafted in the first round of the NFL draft since 2007 (Levi Brown) and the fifth Nittany Lions‘ player to be drafted in the first round in the James Franklin era.

In listing his players with first round grades for the upcoming draft Monday, ESPN’s Matt Miller listed Fashanu as one of only four offensive tackles with a first round grade this year.

NFL Draft Analyst All-In on Penn State Football OT Olu Fashanu

In the latest release, Miller compares Fashanu to five time Pro Bowler Terron Armstead, calling him “a long-armed, easy-moving left tackle.”

Miller continued noting “he’s powerful and agile, and he is still getting better with more reps.” Miller notes Fashanu’s massive size, at 6-foot-6 and 312 pounds, both taller and heavier than Armstead. As a ceiling, Miller argues that Fashanu has the tools to be a “top-five NFL left tackle.”

During his time at Penn State, Fashanu burst onto the scene his junior season, stepping in as a first time starter and earning second team All-American honors by Walter Camp.

In 20 starts over his final two seasons on campus, Fashanu allowed only one sack and was flagged only four times, among the best in the nation in both categories. In 2023, Fashanu earned the Rimington-Pace Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year award and became Penn State’s 41st consensus All-American in program history.

At only 21 years old, Fashanu is one of the youngest prospects in the upcoming draft, despite staying at Penn State for four seasons and not declaring early.

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Olu Fashanu Mock Draft Projection

Fashanu’s first round grade has been consistent since the end of the 2022 season after Fashanu declared his intention to return to Penn State for a fourth season and he has been consistently drafted in the first round in every available mock draft this draft season. Fashanu may have the opportunity to prove the comparison to Armstead right in 2024, as one of the consensus landing spots for Fashanu has been with Armstead’s former team the New Orleans Saints.

Barring any major surprises over the next three weeks, Fashanu has checked every box to hear his name called by the commissioner during the first round later this month and should be one of the top offensive tackles off the board on night one of the NFL draft.

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