Outside of Campbell, it’s hard to find tackles going high in Round 1 that don’t have at least 33-inch arms. Rashawn Slater measured with 33-inch arms and was branded a tackle by the Chargers. Alijah Vera-Tucker, like Fano, had 32 1/8-inch arms and was moved to guard by the Jets. Peter Skoronski was a shade longer at 32 1/4 inches, but it still wasn’t enough to prevent a move to guard — and he slipped out of the top 10 after often being projected to go slightly higher in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Fano did a lot of good things during his combine workout. His 40-yard dash time (4.91 seconds) was tied for second-fastest among all offensive linemen, behind only Iowa center Logan Jones’ time of 4.90 seconds. Fano’s 10-yard split was also excellent at 1.72 seconds, third among all blockers. Solid jumping numbers (32-inch vertical, 9-foot-3 broad jump) helped, too. Fano’s on-field work during the OL drills appeared smooth and efficient.
“I feel like I had a really good time on the L drill,” Fano told NFL Network’s Stacey Dales. “I don’t know, I just enjoyed getting out and moving today.”
But the arm length won’t be ignored. There is plenty of draft data to suggest that a move to guard is highly possible, and even if he does stay at tackle, Fano’s chances of being a top-10 pick took a hit with the shorter measurement.
Plus, as Jeremiah noted on Fano in his top-50 rankings, Fano is “still developing as a pass protector,” yet also projects as “an explosive people mover.” That reads like a scouting report that might preclude a college tackle staying outside in the NFL anyway.
