The 2024 NFL Draft is seven days away, and while some players’ stocks continue to rise, others are not nearly as fortunate. Whether it is a direct result of injuries, like what befell Alabama Cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, or the suggestion that they may be “High-Maintenance”, it is a normal occurrence for some of the best players in the nation to see their hopes backslide in the final days.
These players will all still be drafted, some highly, but recent developments would suggest that come the NFL Draft, they are unlikely to be drafted as high as they once were projected to.
2024 NFL Draft Falling Talent #1: Olu Fashanu, Penn State T
The plight of Olu Fashanu is, mercifully, easy to explain. The 2024 NFL Draft will have a half-dozen potential round-one selections at the Tackle positions, headlined by Notre Dame’s Joe Alt. Fashanu’s situation is that he seemed to have stalled in recent months, and the other first-round tackles, a group that includes Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga, have been able to pass Fashanu on most teams’ boards.
In his final collegiate season with the Nittany Lions, Fashanu’s #1 job was to protect Drew Allar in the midst of Penn State’s eventual 10-win season and a trip to the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. The collective Penn State offensive line only allowed 15 sacks during their 13 games of play in 2023, with Fashanu having given up none.
2024 NFL Draft Falling Talents #2: The Running Backs
The problem that happens every single draft season is how to best describe the running back class and how highly the players should be drafted. Some years, like 2023, saw multiple running backs be taken on day one, including Jahmyr Gibbs. Other years will feature no running backs going at all on the first night, and some will not hear their names called until deep into the second day.
2024’s running back crop, headlined by Trey Benson, leans into the latter category. It is unlikely that any of them will hear their names called in the opening round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and are likelier to hear their names called on day two. But how long could their wait have to be?
NFL Draft Falling Talent #3: T’Vondre Sweat, Texas DT
It has not been a good draft process for T’Vondre Sweat. Following his arrest earlier this month, the former Texas standout has watched his stock crash down from potential second-round talent to waiting into the third and final day of next week’s draft. It also doesn’t help that some have labeled Sweat a “Party Animal” and “The Class Clown.”
Sweat does possess a rare combination of athleticism and height/weight. But much like the troubled 2023 selection Jalen Carter, wherever Sweat lands, he will have to learn and grow past his mistakes to last long in the NFL.