Penn State football star could be an NFL starter today, per PFF

Pro Football Focus recently named five college football players who could start in the NFL right now, despite still being in college. Penn State football star Olu Fashanu, a projected top-5 pick in next year’s NFL Draft, was included in this list, further establishing him as a standout in the Blue and White and bolstering the national hype surrounding him.

Penn State football star Olu Fashanu could start in the NFL today, per PFF

NFL scouts and national media are quite high on Penn State football offensive tackle Olu Fashanu, who decided to skip this year’s NFL Draft in favor of one final season in Happy Valley this fall. Fashanu is projected as a top-5 pick by a few outlets and has been named a top-10 player in all of college football by ON3, 247 Sports, and more.

He first stood out at Penn State during the 2021 season, specifically in the Outback Bowl. Since then, Fashanu has been recognized as one of the best in the sport—not just on the offensive line but in overall talent.

This year, Fashanu returns to the Penn State football sidelines in hopes of leading his team to bigger and better things, perhaps even a Big Ten title and a College Football Playoff berth for the first time in program history.

PFF’s take

Here is what Pro Football Focus had to say about the All-Big Ten Penn State football star:

“Fashanu returning to Penn State after this past season was one of the biggest shocks of the 2023 draft cycle. The redshirt sophomore was draft eligible after a stellar season starting eight games at left tackle, earning an 85.6 pass-blocking grade while not giving up a single sack on 281 pass-blocking snaps.

“He redshirted his true freshman season two seasons ago, and in 2021 he made just one start. So, the timeline for him to return for a fourth season made sense after just one year of full-time starting experience. But if he would have declared, it’s hard to think he wouldn’t have been a top-15 lock — perhaps even OT1 — considering the rest of the offensive tackle class. His foot speed, play strength and balance all project to his being a starting-caliber blindside protector in the NFL.”

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