On Friday night, Penn State added commitment No. 16 to their 2026 recruiting class as three-star defensive lineman Alex Haskell, a standout at St. Joseph's in Philadelphia, announced his decision.
Haskell is a big recruiting win for the Nittany Lions, as the 6-foot-4, 265-pound lineman chose the Nittany Lions over Big Ten rival Michigan, among others. The industry consensus three-star prospect is the third defensive line commitment for the program this cycle, joining defensive end Daniel Jennings and defensive tackle Isaac Chukwurah.
Haskell also continues what has been a hot start to the month for Penn State, as he is the Nittany Lions' third commitment in May and their eighth in the last six weeks.
While Haskell is listed as a defensive end on Rivals, the Nittany Lions view the Philadelphia area native as a defensive tackle at the next level. Below, we take a deep dive into Haskell as a prospect and project what he could potentially be for the Nittany Lions long term.
At 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds, Haskell is already well on his way to amassing the needed size to play defensive tackle at the collegiate level. With a 6-foot-4 frame, there is plenty of room for Haskell to continue to add mass to his frame. When it comes to his eventual final weight, Haskell could ultimately wind up playing somewhere between the 285 to 300 pound range. It's a frame and weight range that has had quite a few successful examples in recent memory at the collegiate level, including Kris Jenkins and Jalen Carter. Another example, albeit not as recent, is the former Philadelphia Eagles star defensive tackle Fletcher Cox.
Now to be clear, these are best case scenario examples for Haskell.
Jenkins was just a second round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Carter, in his second year in the NFL, earned All-Pro honors as a key part of the Eagles' Super Bowl championship team, while Cox put together a tremendous career with the Philadelphia Eagles and has a strong case to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Nonetheless, Haskell's current frame and skill set, which we'll get to below, match up well with the three above. From a size perspective, Haskell is never going to be the biggest defensive tackle in terms of weight, thanks to his frame, he should always be able to carry 285-300 pounds efficiently while being able to maintain effective speed and athleticism.
For Haskell, as he continues to grow over the upcoming years, it will be crucial for him to be able to maintain his athleticism and explosiveness while also gaining an additional 25 to 40 pounds of mass.
Talking about that athleticism and explosiveness, Haskell is a fantastic defensive end for St. Joseph's Prep. Haskell is good, but not an elite athlete. He has a strong first step off the ball and explodes into the neutral zone and is quick to the point of contact. He plays with a good pad level, shows good hip flexibility and agility, allowing him to quickly change his direction while fighting through blocks. Once past his blocker, Haskell shows good closing speed. He can play a little bit out of control at times and sometimes could overpursue the ball carrier, but his frame and wingspan allow him to still effectively wrap up ball carriers and bring them to the ground.
From a technical standpoint, Haskell shows quality hand fighting skills and shows the ability to quickly disengage from his blockers. He's not going to bullrush too many offensive linemen, at least the current version of himself, but instead prefers to beat opposing linemen more with his athleticism and finesse.
As a defensive end, Haskell is a fantastic run defender for St. Joseph's and possesses key traits that will project well to the next level. Haskell often snuffs them out before they have a chance to fully develop, thanks to his impressive play recognition, consistently diagnosing run plays early, which when combined with his athleticism is a deadly combination at the high school level. As he develops into a defensive tackle at the next level, Haskell has all the traits to be an effective run defender at the collegiate level.
Haskell's pass rushing abilities could be what makes him a productive defensive tackle at the next level. As previously discussed, Haskell is a natural pass rusher, and while he will need to continue to develop his pass rushing move set to be successful at the college level, the Philadelphia native already has a strong foundation. He does a high quality job already at getting a first quick step off the snap and then creating disruption at the point of attack. However, he will need to find more balance in his pass rushing abilities. While right now he primarily focuses on beating offensive linemen with his speed, he will need to continue to develop his pass rushing repertoire, while also needing to improve from a power standpoint as well. To be a successful pass rusher routinely at the Big Ten level, he'll need to find a balance between the two.
From a projection standpoint, Haskell is almost certainly a three tech defensive tackle for Penn State. His natural abilities as a pass rusher offer significant upside as an inside pass rusher for the Nittany Lions. The ceiling for Haskell at this point would be a multi year starting defensive tackle who is a three down defensive tackle who could hold his own against the run while also possessing that high upside as a pass rusher. If his abilities against the run perhaps don't translate as well as expected to the collegiate game, he could be a potential pass rushing specialist for the Nittany Lions who will look to use his quick first step and athleticism to break into the backfield and get to the quarterback.
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