Five years ago, the Indianapolis Colts selected a Penn State offensive lineman with one of the last picks of the 2021 NFL Draft — and it worked out pretty well for them.
The Colts took Penn State’s Will Fries with the No. 249 pick in the seventh round. Fries earned the starting job at right guard by Week 10 of his rookie season and didn’t look back. Fries ended up signing a five-year, $88 million contract with the Vikings last March.
Maybe a similar success story in Indianapolis could unfold for Nolan Rucci.
Rucci didn’t hear his name called in Pittsburgh, but Penn State’s starting right tackle was signed by the Colts as an undrafted free agent. And he could stick in Indy.
Let’s take a look at Rucci and why he might be the Penn State UDFA with the best NFL fit.
Background
Rucci is the son of Todd Rucci, the former Penn State lineman and 1993 second-round pick by the New England Patriots. Rucci, a 2021 five-star recruit out of Warwick, began his collegiate career at Wisconsin before transferring to Penn State ahead of the 2024 season.
Rucci competed for the starting right tackle job and lost to Anthony Donkoh in 2024. But when Donkoh picked up a season-ending injury, Rucci took over and started the final six games of the season, including the Big Ten championship game and three CFP games.
Rucci was stellar down the stretch. He was the highest-graded lineman in the CFP, according to Pro Football Focus. That, and Donkoh’s move to guard, paved the way for Rucci to be the full-time starter at right tackle in 2025. And the 6-foot-8, 314-pounder played well.
Competition
The Colts are in pretty good shape on the offensive line. Bernhard Raimann was one of the best left tackles in the league last year. On the right side, 2025 fourth-rounder Jalen Travis will take over the spot left by Braden Smith or right guard Matt Goncalves (Pitt) will kick outside. Rookie guard Jalen Farmer will play a factor in whether or not Goncalves is at guard or tackle.
Either way, Rucci isn’t going to be competing for a starting job. That was never really going to be the case as a UDFA, but Rucci could force his way into the mix by outperforming Indy’s reserves. Blake Freeland has had injury issues. Luke Tenuta, Bayron Matos and Jack Wilson are developmental tackles who spent last season on the practice squad.
Their thoughts
“Rucci’s college football trajectory didn’t go quite as planned, but he heads to the NFL coming off his best season. He is a towering athlete and offers functional quickness in both pass protection and the run game. He has enough body fluidity to combat speed off the edge, although his struggles are more prominent versus power. In the run game, he struggles to roll his hips and ends up lunging at his waist.
“Overall, Rucci has tools worth developing, but he’ll need to improve his leverage and functional strength before he’s ready for NFL snaps. He is a project worth stashing on the practice squad.” — The Athletic’s Dane Brugler
Our thoughts
Size can’t be taught, and Rucci has it working in his favor. He also has experience. Rucci will be 24 years old as a rookie. He has five years of college experience and 18 starts at Penn State, including several games on some of the sport’s biggest stages.
We think Rucci has a good shot to latch onto the Colts’ practice squad. And after that, who knows? Maybe he can forge a career in the league like Fries did five years ago.