Jets' Olu Fashanu: Tyron Smith 'the absolute standard' at left tackle
The Jets selected Penn State tackle Olu Fashanu with the No. 11 overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and while Joe Douglas and the front office were happy to land such a talented player, Fashanu, himself, is just as happy to land in New York.
Speaking with reporters following his selection, Fashanu explained that he’s “truly blessed” to be able to play behind and learn from starters Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses.
And as it turns out, Smith – an eight-time Pro Bowler and likely future Hall of Famer – is a player whom Fashanu has tried to model his game after.
“He was the absolute standard at left tackle,” Fashanu said, “So for me, getting the opportunity to watch years upon years of film and now having this great opportunity to learn with him, learn any bits or tips that he has for me, I mean, what more could I ask for?”
A physical specimen at 6-foot-6, 312 pounds, Fashanu was a First Team All-American the Big Ten Conference OL of the Year this past season, starting 12 games at left tackle.
For fans who aren’t familiar with his game, Fashanu, a native of Waldorf, Md., offered the following scouting report:
“As a lineman, I feel like I bring a lot of toughness, a lot of grit, and for me, most importantly, I feel like one of my best assets is consistency on the field, never taking any plays off, always giving my all,” Fashanu said. "Great in pass protection and run blocking, but also a great locker room guy as well. I’m someone who I’m going to be the same person day in and day out. Come in and work my tail off. I’m going to compete, I’m going to compete within the program, because at the end of the day, by competing with everyone, not only are you getting yourself better, but you’re getting everyone around you better.”
Fashanu has been a left tackle for nearly all of his playing career in high school and college, but he did say he’s been working on playing the right side, in case the Jets need him there should anything happen to Moses.
While working on playing the right side, Fashanu is also committed to improving his run-blocking, which some draftniks identified as a weakness in his game.
“Run-blocking is still an are of focus for me. That’s something that I still work on to this day, just trying to consistently improve on it,” Fashanu said. “[OL Coach Keith Carter] is a great coach, so with him and working all of the different OTA’s, rookie minicamp, and regular camp – just to have that opportunity to be coached by him, it’s going to do nothing but develop my game.”
