FSU Football NFL Draft Preview: DL Fabien Lovett

The former Seminole is projected to be drafted down the stretch.

We are one day away from the 2024 NFL Draft and as many as 13 former 'Noles have a chance to hear their name called throughout the weekend. What these articles will attempt to accomplish is catch you up on where each prospect is projected to go, which teams they've met with, measurables, and what scouts and executives have said about these players (if it's been made available). 

Fabien Lovett started his career at Mississippi State but transferred to Florida State, blossoming into a leader in the locker room along the defensive line, putting up 12 tackles for loss and 5 sacks in four seasons in Tallahassee. He's a better run stopper than those numbers would suggest and is just a mover of people. He dealt with various injuries throughout his career, which definitely impacted his mobility at times, but he's going to be a scheme-versatile player that teams could look at adding in later rounds.

Measurements

Most of Fabien Lovett's measurements start with his size: 6037 (6 feet, 3 and 7/8ths inches) and 316 pounds. He never was going to be the most athletic, and the drills proved that: 5-flat 40-yard dash, 26 reps in the bench press (lower than I would've expected), 25.5 vertical jump, 8'5" broad jump, 7.56 3-cone drill, and 4.82 shuttle time. His size alone carried his relative athletic score of 6.95.

Visits and Meetings

Lovett said he talked to all 32 teams at the Combine, but specifically mentioned the Denver Broncos when asked about it. He's also had a private workout with the Kansas City Chiefs.

What the Scouts are Saying

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com: "Lovett is a wide-bodied, two-gapping impediment to running attacks looking to impose their will between the tackles. He blends long arms, big hands and a powerful lower half to withstand double-teams and leverage his gap with consistency. He lacks the snap quickness to disrupt in gaps or attack the pocket as a rusher, so his blue-collar toughness can't be quantified by box-score scouting. He understands his job is to bring the work to whomever may be in front of him. His run-plugging talent could create early playing time for him at nose for 4-3 or 3-4 stop units."

Dane Brugler of The Athletic (paywall): "Lovett is a slow-twitch big man with better flashes than consistency, but he is stout at contact with the God-given length and power to continue getting better as a pass rusher. He has a scheme-versatile skill set and projects as a rotational interior lineman."

Keith Sanchez of The Draft Network: "Two elements of his game need improvement. The first is consistency against the run. Lovett has all of the physical tools to win a rep but it appears his instincts and play diagnosis are not consistent enough to allow him to be a constant playmaker along the defensive front. The other element is his ability to rush the QB. Lovett has had minimal statistical production rushing the quarterback."

Connor Rogers of PFF and NBC: "Lovett is that guy that you can lean on to eat space, to be a tough guy in the trenches, and to not get moved off the point of attack."

Projected Draft Range

Lovett is projected to be a Day 3 pick and likely to go anywhere between the 5th and 7th rounds. With his likely versatility in schemes and upside as a pure run stopper, he should be drafted.

The Denver Broncos have been the main team mentioned with him, who currently have picks 136, 145, 147, 203, and 207 in the 5th and 6th rounds, enough capital that they could take a player like Lovett in the range. The other team mentioned, the Kansas City Chiefs, have picks 159, 173, and 221.

Some other teams that could make sense and their current selection in that range: the Vikings (157, 167, 177, 230, and 232), the Lions (164, 201, 205, and 249), and the Dolphins (158, 184, 198, and 241).

Minnesota was horrible at stopping the run last season and is in desperate need of late-round defensive linemen who can make an impact on the interior. Detroit needs some depth behind Alim McNeill and DJ Reader while Miami lost Christian Wilkins to free agency, so getting some more depth down the board is something they should be looking to do.

Prediction

We know Kansas City likes their Florida State run-stopping defensive lineman, as Derrick Nnadi has enjoyed success with the organization, and I have Lovett landing with the reigning Super Bowl champions at pick 173.