12d ago football Edit

Penn State OL Olu Fashanu selected in First Round of 2024 NFL Draft

Richie O'Leary • Happy Valley Insider

Publisher

For the fifth time since James Franklin has taken over as head coach, Penn State Football had a player selected in the first round of the NFL Draft as former offensive lineman Olu Fashanu was selected by the New York Jets with 11th pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Fashanu is the first Nittany Lions offensive lineman to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft since Levi Brown was selected No. 5 overall by the Arizona Cardinals in 2005. He is also the first Penn State OL selected in the NFL Draft since the Houston Texas took Juice Scruggs in 2023 and the first offensive tackle since the Green Bay Packers took Rasheed Walker in 2022.

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FASHANU AS A RECRUIT....

Coming out of high school, Fashanu was a highly touted prospect, ranked as a four-star out of Gonzaga College High School over in Washington, DC.

The then 6-foot-6, 315-pound offensive tackle earned over 20+ scholarships offers from programs such as Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, UNC, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee and many others.

Now as far as visits go, Fashanu didn't take many, but he did take unofficial visits to Duke, Michigan, Ohio State, Virginia as well as Penn State before committing. He would then only go on to take one Official Visit to Penn State as then assistant coaches Tyler Bowen and Matt Limegrover had him locked up all the way.

FASHANU AS A PLAYER....

During his four years in State College, Fashanu redshirted in year one and didn't appear in any games, but then would go on to play in 29 games (21 starts) over the next three seasons.

During his time at State, Fashanu also earned several awards for his play on the field including….

— 2022 Walter Camp second-team All-American

— 2022 Phil Steele Third-Team All-American

— 2022 Second-Team All-Big Ten (coaches)

— 2022 Third-Team All-Big Ten (media)

— 2023 Rimington-Pace Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year

— 2023 First-Team All-Big Ten (coaches/media)

— 2023 First-Team All-American (AP / AFCA / Sporting News / Walter Camp)

THEY SAID IT....

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein on Olu Fashanu: "A toolsy two-year starter with loads of potential, Fashanu is still learning to be less mechanical and more instinctive with his play. At this point, he could impose his traits upon most collegiate opponents and stack the deck in his favor. As a pro, he will need to play with better control and more consistent technique to prevent being countered and beaten by NFL talent. There is still room to get bigger and stronger, but he’s already playing with good focus and drive as a run blocker. Issues with footwork and landmarks can be corrected with more coaching. He’s long and has really effective recovery agility to help keep his quarterback clean, but inconsistent pass slides and excessive leaning could make things harder than they need to be early on. Overall, the work ethic, traits and tape make it easier to project Fashanu’s continued improvement into a very good left tackle."

Bleacher Report's NFL Draft Department on Fashanu: "Overall, Fashanu has high-end physical tools with rarely seen polish as a pass-protector that is counterbalanced with being more underdeveloped as a finisher in the run game. His ability to thrive on an island in pass protection right away with the tools, runway and flashes necessary to make improvements as a run-blocker indicates a franchise-caliber blind-side protector who can at least be average in the run game."

NFLDraftBuzz.com on Fashanu: "While Fashanu's pass protection abilities are highly polished, his run-blocking shows room for growth. He's quick and effective in initial engagements, but his technique can falter in sustaining blocks, particularly against quicker rushers. Despite these areas for development, Fashanu's overall skill set, including his physical tools and football IQ, position him as a potential top-ten pick in the 2024 draft. His combination of athletic talent and the potential for further growth makes him a likely candidate for a franchise-caliber blind-side protector."