Will Fashanu fall to the New York Jets in the draft?
As we continue our Jets X-Factor draft series, we’ll keep looking at the positions the New York Jets are the most likely to target. The first-round list starts (and possibly ends?) with offensive tackle. We’ve already reviewed Joe Alt and J.C. Latham. Now we’ll get to Olumuyiwa (Olu) Fashanu, the Penn State left tackle who was long considered the best of them all.
Will Fashanu fall to the Jets, and if so, should they select him?
Jets Draft Scouting Report series:
- Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
- J.C. Latham, OT, Alabama
- Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
- Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
Bio
Fashanu is 6-foot-6 and 317 pounds. He was a two-year starter at Penn State and a team captain in 2023. He is 21 years old.
Fashanu started eight games at left tackle in 2022 before missing the rest of the season due to an undisclosed injury. He started 12 games in 2023.
Some have likened Fashanu to longtime Jets tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2006 draft.
Statistics
Fashanu slots in as the second-best tackle prospect in most pass-blocking statistical aspects. His 2.6% pressure rate tied for 12th among 199 qualified tackles (min. 350 pass-blocking snaps), and his 0% sack rate tied for first. His 2.8% true pass set pressure rate tied for fourth among tackles (a true pass set is a pass play where the ball is released between 2-4 seconds with at least 4 pass rushers and no play-action or screen), although his non-true pass set pressure rate of 2.5% tied for 70th.
If you adjust Fashanu’s pressure and sack rates according to the NFL-average true pass set rate (46.3%), his ranking jumps to eighth in pressure rate (his sack rate will always be top because he did not allow any sacks in 2023).
Fashanu is not quite as good of a run-blocker as the other top tackle prospects. His Pro Football Focus run-blocking grade was 70.5, tied for 37th among tackles. He also had 181 snaps per penalty, ranking 88th out of qualified tackles.
Overall, here is the comparison between Joe Alt, Fashanu, and J.C. Latham.
- Pressure rate: Alt 1.4% (2nd), Fashanu 2.6% (T-12th), Latham 3.2% (27th)
- Sack rate: Fashanu 0% (T-1st), Alt 0.27% (T-45th), Latham 0.45% (70th)
- Pro-adjusted pressure rate: Alt 1.4% (1st), Fashanu 2.6% (T-8th), Latham 3.2% (16th)
- Pro-adjusted sack rate: Fashanu 0% (T-1st), Alt 0.27% (36th), Latham 0.47% (57th)
- PFF run-blocking grade: Alt 86.5 (4th), Latham 79.6 (7th), Fashanu 70.5 (T-37th)
- Snaps per penalty: Alt 356 (27th), Fashanu 181 (88th), Latham 125 (147th)
The problem
As with any prospect, if Jets X-Factor’s Joe Blewett does not give them a seal of approval, they come into the draft with strong red flags. Blewett said that Fashanu is an incredibly raw prospect and not a slam-dunk pick. He explained that he liked Tristan Wirfs, Mekhi Becton, and Jedrick Wills better when they were coming out of college, and both Wirfs and Becton went just outside the top 10.
Fashanu is known to be a raw run-blocker, and although that is not the Jets’ primary concern, 2023 proved that even Breece Hall can’t run for much without decent run-blocking in front of him. As a pass-blocker, Fashanu got away with certain technique deficiencies at the college level, but NFL pass rushers will take advantage.
Fashanu used to be considered the No. 1 tackle prospect in the draft, but other names are beginning to overtake him. While Fashanu could still develop into a good player, he is unlikely to solve the Jets’ tackle problems in 2024. That should already be a red flag in his draft profile.
