“Fano has played both left and right tackle at Utah, but his size (6-foot-5, 304 pounds) has some scouts projecting him as an NFL guard,” Miller wrote. “Fano enters 2025 as one of the nation’s best …
One of the most captivating aspects of college football is the schematic diversity that proves there are multiple ways to win. Nick Saban and Kirby Smart built dynasties out of pattern-matching coverages. Some teams throw it all over the yard, others don’t throw it at all, and each team’s idiosyncrasies play into recruitment and the transfer portal.
The Utah Utes are trying to win in the trenches, allowing a wave of transfers to create big plays with vast rushing lanes and comfortable pockets.
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Utah’s offense will look vastly different in 2025, largely due to a transfer class providing new starters at quarterback, running back, and receiver. But their identity will remain the same. For that, they have left tackle Caleb Lomu and right tackle Spencer Fano to thank.
Utah’s tackles could be headed to Round 1
Fano will enter his junior season already introduced to the national spotlight. He is firmly in the conversation to be the first tackle taken in the 2026 NFL Draft and is a consensus top-10 prospect early in the cycle.
Likewise, ESPN insider Matt Miller made Fano the 10th pick in his way-too-early mock draft, pairing him with the Seattle Seahawks.
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“Fano has played both left and right tackle at Utah, but his size (6-foot-5, 304 pounds) has some scouts projecting him as an NFL guard,” Miller wrote. “Fano enters 2025 as one of the nation’s best linemen after allowing one sack in 2024, and his movement ability and understanding of angles and leverage make him an ideal NFL right tackle.”
Fano was the third tackle taken in his mock draft, behind Miami bookend Francis Mauigoa and Alabama mauler Kaydn Proctor.
MORE: Three Nittany Lions named Preseason All-Americans
Perhaps more surprising was Lomu, who landed just two picks later to the Cleveland Browns.
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“Lomu is a player with considerable growth potential,” he said. “He performed well as a redshirt freshman, allowing three sacks and committing one penalty. Lomu should break out further in 2025, with his easy movement ability in the run game and quick reaction time in pass protection. While Lomu isn’t currently OT1, he has top-five potential if he expands on what he showed last season.”
Lomu is less refined than his partner in crime and isn’t viewed as a lock for Round 1. He’s bound to have more issues with leverage than Fano and allowed pressures at a higher rate, but the potential Miller noted is real, and his positional value at left tackle serves as a boost to his stock.
The particular picks and team fits aren’t important in June. Summer mock drafts are meant to introduce fans to the best player in the country. Merely being in that conversation is a win for Utah, and having two first-round tackles is a promising foundation for an offense in desperate need of improvement.
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Source: Utah News