FRISCO, Texas —The first thing that you notice about Nolan Rucci is that he's tall. Unbelievably tall, really. When players are measured in at places like the East-West Shrine Bowl, Senior Bowl and NFL Combine, they often have a way of mysteriously shrinking from their listed collegiate heights — especially those at either end of the spectrum.
Rucci was listed by Penn State as 6-foot-8. When they put the tape to him at the Shrine Bowl in Dallas last month, he added an eighth of an inch. That's about as big as it gets, when it comes to NFL offensive linemen. There are only a handful of NFL tackles that big.
Only Spencer Brown (6-foot-8 1/4), Trent Brown (6-foot-8 1/2), and Dan Skipper (6-foot-9 1/2) were bigger among 2025 NFL linemen.
Of course, bigger is not always better. Skipper, who retired after the 2025 season, spent most of his career as a backup. Trent Brown turned into a starter after beginning his career as a seventh-round pick. Spencer Brown, who was so overlooked coming out of high school that he played at Northern Iowa, has become a regular starter as a third-round pick.
Clearly, being the biggest guy in the room isn't always the easiest path. That's been the case for Rucci so far, as well. A five-star recruit coming out of Warwick High School in eastern Pennsylvania, the son of former New England Patriots offensive lineman Todd Rucci was seen as a can't-miss prospect.
But that's just what happened. In two years at Wisconsin, Rucci was never able to crack the starting lineup, and he transferred to Penn State after his older brother, Hayden Rucci graduated and joined the Miami Dolphins in 2024.
With the Nittany Lions, Rucci started to find his way.
"I think a lot of my development started when I got to Penn State," he said to Steelers Now at the 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl.
"You know, I just had some difficulty with the schemes over at Wisconsin and just the constant coaching turnover. It was difficult to really apply what I was learning in the classroom and in the film room to what I was doing out in the field. But when I was able to get to Penn State and started getting coached by Coach [Phil] Trautwein, he really kind of not only started me back on the fundamentals of where your feet should be to start your set, your angle of departure, your ideal meeting point when you're going to the defensive lineman.
"So starting with things like that when I got there, I think really, as far as development-wise, was a big piece of why, after that I was really able to build upon such a great foundation that I got there."
For a player that is such a physical specimen, it's probably not a surprise that for Rucci, the biggest part of his development was mental.
"Throughout the course of the game, you're going to get a lot of looks and moves from the guy across from you, and you kind of have to anticipate and understand the situation of the game," he said. "Like if it's a third and long, what's most likely to move? A lot of it comes down to opponent film study. So much of my preparation throughout the week, I think, has gotten better throughout these past two years."
Penn State tackle Nolan Rucci in a game against Nevada on Aug. 30, 2025 — Matthew Lynch / Nittany Sports Now
Measured at the East-West Shrine Bowl:6-foot-8 1/8, 310 pounds, 10 3/9-inch hands, 33 3/8-inch arms, 82 1/4-inch wingspan
Nolan Rucci's journey began as one of the most highly sought-after offensive tackle recruits in the country, earning a five-star rating out of high school. Expectations were sky high for the towering 6-foot-8 tackle. He ultimately chose Wisconsin, a program long known for developing elite offensive linemen.
However, those expectations were never fully met during his time with the Badgers. Over three seasons at Wisconsin, Rucci appeared in just six games and did not make a single start. His most memorable moment came on a tackle-eligible touchdown against Illinois, a fun highlight but far from what many envisioned for a former five-star prospect.
| Year |
School |
GP |
GS |
Sacks |
LT |
LG |
C |
RG |
RT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 |
PSU |
16 |
12 |
1 |
15 |
2 |
0 |
6 |
573 |
| 2024 |
PSU |
12 |
6 |
1 |
29 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
568 |
| 2023 |
Wisc. |
3 |
0 |
0 |
42 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 2022 |
Wisc. |
3 |
0 |
0 |
28 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Everything changed when Rucci entered the transfer portal and made the decision to return closer to home at Penn State.
In his first season with the Nittany Lions, he appeared in all 16 games and made six starts. During that stretch, Penn State leaned heavily on its ground game, particularly during its playoff run against SMU and Boise State, and Rucci played a meaningful role in that success.
By the end of the 2024 season, Rucci had firmly earned his spot. He returned for his redshirt senior year and started every game at right tackle, completing one of the more unique developmental arcs you will see from a former five-star recruit, going from limited action early in his career to a full-time starter anchoring a playoff caliber offensive line.
By Joe Fitzgerald
Nolan Rucci was a highly-touted, five-star prospect coming out of high school, projecting him to play up to his potential given he is 6-foot-8 and 310 pounds.
He started his collegiate career with Wisconsin and saw limited playing time, and at Penn State was not an every-game starter with just six starts in 2024 before becoming a regular starter in 2025.
For his size, he mirrors pass rushers well. His base in pass protection needs to get a lot stronger. He doesn't get under defenders, nor get his hips involved in the run game to truly move defenders. His head tends to go down in pass pro causing him to see wraps and stunts late, and for him to whiff and fall on his face.
He can get to the second level pretty quickly. His movement skills are not bad at all for his size.
Rucci has the size for the NFL, but needs more refinement in his game to develop as an NFL tackle.
By Adam Echols
As of Feb. 11, Roberts is No. 245 on the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board, which projects him to be a seventh-round pick. He has recently been ranked as high as No. 232, also in the seventh round, and as low as No. 459, which would be undrafted.
SN Projection: Undrafted free agent
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Massive Tackle Nolan Rucci Has Untapped Potential in 6-foot-8 Frame
Related Headlines
