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NittanyCentral

NittanyCentral delivers expert analysis from veteran reporters and timely updates on Penn State sports, with in-depth coverage of Nittany Lions Football, Wrestling, Basketball, and more.

Penn State Football Lands 5 Prospects Inside NFL Draft Analysts’ Top-150 Prospects

Penn State Football, Olu Fashanu

NFL Draft week is finally here, and plenty of former Penn State Football stars will anxiously await hearing their names called in Detroit.

In the fifth iteration of his top 150 prospect list, NFL Network’s draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah placed five former Nittany Lions among his top 150 prospects for this week’s draft.

Chop Robinson, Penn State Football, NFL Draft
Defensive end Chop Robinson runs through the three-cone drill during Penn State’s Pro Day in Holuba Hall on March 15, 2024, in State College.

After an entire pre-draft process, here are where these five stack up among other top prospects four days before the 2024 NFL draft begins.

Penn State Football Top NFL Draft Prospects to Watch

15 overall- Olu Fashanu

Left tackle Olu Fashanu continues to rank in the top half of the first round ahead of this week’s draft.

After allowing only one sack in his two seasons starting at left tackle for Penn State, Fashanu is expected to hear his name called within the first half of the first round Thursday night.

Jeremiah mentions that Fashanu possesses “Ideal size, length, and strength for the left tackle position,” continuing he “has all the tools to be a solid starting left tackle once he cleans up some small areas of his game.”

Without chaos happening Thursday night, Fashanu will be the first Nittany Lion to hear his name called this year.


21 overall- Chop Robinson

Penn State Football, Chop Robinson, NFL Draft
31. San Francisco 49ers – Chop Robinson, DE, Penn State

Penn State Football defensive end Chop Robinson is one of the most polarizing players projected in the first round of this week’s draft.

Although Robinson is a bit undersized compared to many NFL defensive ends, Jeremiah points out that Robinson “is an extremely twitched-up edge rusher” who is “incredibly explosive.”

Robinson grades somewhere in the late first to early second round, depending on the mock draft, but the consensus seems to be that he will hear his name called in the later half of round one Thursday night.

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73 overall- Adisa Isaac

Penn State Football
Penn State Football defensive end Adisa Isaac. (Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire)

Penn State defensive end Adisa Isaac may be the Nittany Lion who benefitted most from the pre-draft process.

Isaac drew plenty of attention at both the Senior Bowl (earning ESPN’s Louis Riddick’s practice MVP) and the NFL combine (earning a very respectable 8.99 RAS score). Here in Daniel Jeremiah’s latest prospect list, Isaac’s placement at 73 overall should put him in contention as a day two prospect.

 

 


82 overall- Theo Johnson

Penn State Football
Penn State Nittany Lions Tight End Theo Johnson (84) (Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire)

Theo Johnson showed off elite traits at the NFL combine, earning him an elite RAS score of 9.93 (9th all time out of 1,199 tight ends from 1987 to 2024). Because of Penn State’s high use of two tight ends, Johnson’s stats are below other tight end prospects in the 2024 draft class, but his tape and athleticism show that he can be a great NFL prospect. Jeremiah’s placement of Johnson at number 82 overall makes him a solid day two consideration as well.


109 overall- Hunter Nourzad

The final Nittany Lion on Daniel Jeremiah’s list is center Hunter Nourzad at 109 overall.

Nourzad had a good season after moving from guard to center in 2024, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors. Nourzad’s position at number 109 on Jeremiah’s list suggests that he could be an early day-three pick but could jump into day two if a team falls in love with him.

In addition to the five players on this list, Penn State Football has plenty of day three candidates to make a splash on new teams next season and beyond. According to 247Sports’ Grant Hughes, Penn State is projected to have the second most draft picks in the 2024 NFL draft with 10 players potentially hearing their names called this week.

If ten Nittany Lions are selected, it would be the most picks in a draft for the Penn State program since 1996.

MORE: 3 Penn State Transfer Portal Targets to Watch

Penn State Football
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Penn State Football Lands 5 Prospects Inside NFL Draft Analysts’ Top-150 Prospects
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