The Pittsburgh Steelers may have the option to select a highly regarded draft prospect who played college football in Pennsylvania for the second time in three years in April. That is if Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu is available for the Steelers at No. 20 overall.
However, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette stated that if Fashanu is available in the first round, the Steelers will most likely not choose him.
“I think they would probably pass [on Fashanu],” Fittipaldo remarked during an appearance on 93.7 The Fan on April 18. “He is a left tackle.” They want to transfer Broderick Jones to the left side.
“That’s definitely something they want to do in short order.”
Fittipaldo predicted that Broderick Jones may not move to left tackle in 2024. However, Fittipaldo said that Fashanu is not a good fit to play with Jones because to his lack of “right tackle capability.”
During his final two seasons at Penn State, Fashanu started 20 games at left tackle. Last season, he won the Rimington-Pace Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year award. He was also named to the All-Big Ten team by coaches and media.
Early in the draft process, it appeared that Fashanu would be a top-ten pick in the 2024 NFL draft. That no longer seems to be a given.
While he remains a top-10 prospect at No. 7 overall on Bleacher Report’s draft rankings, ESPN’s most recent consensus big board places him at No. 14. According to Pro Football Focus, Fashanu is ranked 17th.
The Penn State offensive tackle appears to be available at No. 20 for the Steelers, who drafted Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett at that place two years ago.
However, Fittipaldo’s reasoning that the Steelers will pass up any chance to choose Fashanu makes logic.
At the NFL combine, Pittsburgh general manager Omar Khan made it obvious that Jones is the team’s future left tackle.
“He was drafted to be a left tackle, and he will eventually be a left tackle,” Khan said of Jones on February 29. “When that is, you know, time will tell, but he was drafted to be a left tackle.”
It is quite unlikely that the plan has changed in the last six weeks.
As a result, any lineman the Steelers choose this year must be able to play both sides or only right tackle. NFL draft analysts believe Fashanu will only play left tackle.
Dan Moore Jr. has started at left tackle for the Steelers the last three years. However, in 2024, he will enter the final year of his rookie deal.
