-
Jeff Legwold, ESPN Senior Writer
INDIANAPOLIS — Penn State offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu cut short his on-field workout Sunday at the NFL scouting combine because of a thigh injury.
Fashanu, who is the No. 9 player on ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest Big Board, ran an official time of 5.11 seconds in the 40-yard dash to go with a 32-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot-1 broad jump. But Fashanu then stopped his workout during the position drills.
After he briefly talked to the athletic trainers and pulled on a hoodie, Fashanu remained on the field as the rest of the offensive linemen in his group completed their work, often applauding the efforts. Fashanu told NFL Network he expected to still be ready to participate in Penn State’s pro day on March 14.
Fashanu was a two-year starter at left tackle for the Nittany Lions and likely would have been a top-10 pick in the 2023 draft had he elected not to return to Penn State for one more season.
His injury wasn’t the only one to a touted offensive tackle Sunday.
Georgia‘s Amarius Mims, Kiper’s sixth-rated tackle, did not participate in position drills after he suffered a right hamstring injury.
On his first attempt, Mims ran an impressive 5.07 in the 40 at 6-7¾-inches tall, 340 pounds. But he hurt the hamstring on his second attempt, forcing him to go to the sideline as athletic trainers taped a large bag of ice to his upper right leg.
He, too, then stayed on the field and watched the rest of his group go through position drills.
Mims is the one of the biggest players in the draft, with an 86¾-inch armspan, the largest of the combine.
Earlier in the day — the final one of on-field workouts at Lucas Oil Stadium — South Dakota State tackle Garret Greenfield set a combine record for vertical jump by an offensive lineman (38½ inches).
The combine officially wraps up Monday morning, when the offensive linemen, the last position group left at the event, complete the bench press.
