Top 5 Penn State players going into the 2024 NFL Draft ft. Adisa Isaac
Penn State football has had no shortage of NFL impact players. The 2024 NFL Draft class looks like another chance to add to that group.
The Nittany Lions don't have any overwhelming skill-position standouts. But big players on both sides of the football highlight the current group of Nittany Lions.
Here are the top five Penn State players who will be picked in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Top five Penn State players going in the 2024 NFL Draft
#5 Caeden Wallace, OT
At nearly six-foot-five and 314 pounds, Wallace is a mammoth tackle.
He was a four-year starter at Penn State. Wallace drew honorable mention All-Big Ten accolades as a senior. he played right tackle at Penn State, but there's reason to think that his size would work just as well at a guard spot in the NFL.
Despite already being 24, Wallace is kind of a work in progress. He's massive and strong but not very fast (5.15 second 50 yard dash). He will have to rely on his strength and physicality at the next level and might project best as a guard. He's a likely third or fourth round draft pick.
#4 Theo Johnson, TE
One of the top non-Brock Bowers tight ends in the nation, Johnson is a huge physical specimen who has showed some improved skills as a receiver. He's six-foot-six and around 260 pounds. Yet, his 4.57 second 40-yard dash shows that it's not just thunder; some lightning is in his game.
A two and a half year starter at PSU, Johnson snagged 77 passes for 938 yards and 12 touchdowns in college. He was an honorable mention all-Big Ten as a senior and had seven touchdowns.
Johnson needs to be more consistent in his work as a receiver, but his physical skills and size are undeniable. He's a solid third round pick.
#3 Adisa Isaac, Edge
A two-year starter at Penn State, Issac showed the kind of steady improvement that's difficult to find in college football these days.
In his senior season, his 37 tackles included 16 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. At over six-foot-foue and 250 pounds, Isaac looks the part of an NFL edge rusher.
WIth 4.7 second speed in the 40 yard dash, Isaac is the kind of unfinished player that NFL defensive coordinators love. Whether he can put his tools together with improved consistency and better technique is an open question.
It seems likely that he will draw a team in the late second or third round who will be too intrigued not to draft him.
#2 Chop Robinson, Edge
Robinson began his career at Maryland but transferred to Penn State before the 2022 season.
His 2022 season off the bench (26 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks) yielded better returns than his 2023 season as a starter (15 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, four sacks). Robinson is just under six-foot-three, weight just over 250 pounds and has 4.48 speed in the 40 yard dash.
Robinson's durability is questionable. He has only started one season and in that season, he missed three games. His physical tools make him highly desirable to NFL teams.
Few players will be picked higher despite having just 60 collegiate tackles. Robinson probably goes late in the first round on Thursday.
#1 Olu Fashanu, OT
A masive athlete, Fashanu stands six-foot-sux and weighs just over 310 pounds. A two-year starter at Penn State, Fashanu was a consensus All-American in 2023. Fashanu is one of the best pass blockers in the draft.
As a run blocker, Fashanu is still working on technique. But his size and physical ability gives the impression of a young talent who could still improve.
He's probably a day one starting left tackle in the NFL and won't last beyond the middle of the first round of the draft on Thursday.
Which Nittany Lions stars will have the best NFL career? We'd love to hear your thoughts below in our comments section: