The New York Jets’ most lucrative investment to partake in Saturday’s preseason opener? That would be Olu Fashanu, the 11th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
Fashanu started at left tackle and played 24 offensive snaps, carrying him through the entire first half. It was our first look at the man who will likely be tasked with protecting Aaron Rodgers’ blindside in multiple games this season as New York aims for a deep playoff run.
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We’re going to watch nearly all of Fashanu’s reps in a film review below. Before we get into it, though, it’s vital to highlight the most important takeaway from Fashanu’s performance: the clear impact that Tyron Smith is already having on his development.
Fashanu displayed one of Smith’s signature moves on a pass protection rep in the second quarter.
You can already see Olu Fashanu is learning from Tyron Smith.
One of Tyron's signatures is his fake punch, where he pretends to jab at the rusher to bait them into shooting their hands and throwing themselves off-balance
Olu using it here in his debut. pic.twitter.com/gEGTrTE5Fx
— Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) August 11, 2024
Fashanu and Smith are a dream tackle pairing for multiple reasons. In the short term, Fashanu provides a talented fallback option behind the dominant yet injury-prone veteran. Looking long-term, Smith’s presence can be a wonderful facilitator in Fashanu’s development. Smith is an elite technician with 13 seasons of NFL experience and a reputation as a great teammate. He is the perfect mentor for Fashanu to learn from as he develops into the Jets’ left tackle of the future.
And from what we saw in Fashanu’s preseason debut, it is apparent that Smith is already rubbing off on his protégé.
Let’s dive into Fashanu’s film against the Washington Commanders. There were some hiccups that Fashanu can learn from, but overall, the rookie displayed the talent that made him a top-11 pick.
Olu Fashanu’s run-blocking film vs. Commanders
We’ll start with all 11 of Fashanu’s run-blocking snaps against Washington.
Fashanu lines up at left tackle and wears No. 74.
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