The Jets traded down one spot to No. 11, selecting Penn State’s Olu Fashanu with their first draft choice.
Green and White beat the Vikings in Round 1; Fashanu says the Jets were the obvious choice for him.
With all the rumors of swaps happening in the NFL Draft, the Jets ended up making the first trade of the evening, moving up to No. 10 when the Green & White were on the clock to exchange places with No. 11 Minnesota.
And as the 2024 season draws near, the Jets selected Olu Fashanu, a tackle from Penn State, with the 11th overall pick. Fashanu will likely fight for a starting position and aid in protecting quarterback Aaron Rodgers and advancing head coach Robert Saleh’s attack down the field thanks to the offensive line’s depth and talent.
Soon after the trade and the 11th pick were finalized, general manager Joe Douglas told reporters, “We’re really excited to welcome Big Olu to the Jets.”
For the Nittany Lions, Fashanu played for four seasons and started two of those as a left tackle. Following an injury-shortened 2022 campaign in which he was named second-team All-Big Ten Conference, the determined and focused Fashanu delivered a stellar performance with 12 starts in the previous campaign. At the end of the campaign, he was named Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year and selected as a first-team All-American by the Associated Press. Additionally, he made it to the finals of the William V. Campbell Trophy, often known as “the Academic Heisman.”
He simply had a sense that he and the Jets could be meant to be together when he began to visit NFL teams.
On Thursday night, Fashanu said to the team’s reporters, “They definitely showed interest.” They did a fantastic job of hiding it, in my opinion, and it didn’t appear to be any more than the curiosity shown by any other team. However, the Jets seemed like the best fit for me following that visit and the Combine.”
“It was such a unique draft class at the tackle position,” Douglas stated. “We thought there were a few people who were just amazing players. Being a left tackle and performing at a very high level of pass protection, Olu plays in one of the nation’s best conferences. He also has very low pressure rates. Furthermore, I don’t think he receives enough recognition for stopping runs. He’s just a large man, a fiercely competitive and tough young man.”
“At this point, you are familiar with me. The more, the merrier, O-line, Dline, Saleh declared. “You can never have enough.” The coach also mentioned that Fashanu’s adjustment to the professional game is aided by the recent acquisition of seasoned tackles Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses. “They have an abundance of knowledge, not only in technique but also in being a pro and getting ready for this kind of thing. The young man is just twenty-one years old. He hasn’t even begun to explore the possibilities yet.”
Fashanu sees a lot of advantages in donning the green and white as soon as the rookie minicamp takes place the following week. And three of those reasons are quarterback Aaron Rodgers, fellow tackles Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses, and tight end Aaron Rodgers, whom he first viewed film of when he was a high school player in Washington, DC.
“Aaron Rodgers, just growing up watching him and all the gereat things he’s done throughout his career, to have that opportunity to be on the same team and just ask him any bits and tips and advice as to what made his career so successful, that’s just the best opportunity,” he commented.
Fashanu remarked, “I feel like I’m living in a fairytale,” in reference to Smith. As a tackle, he was the first guy I ever saw on tape. He was the gold standard at left tackle at the time.” Moses is the same way: “I’ve seen a lot of movies about him in the past. I feel incredibly fortunate to have the chance to learn under two seasoned tackles.”
Together with the 10th overall pick, the Jets handed the Vikings their 203rd sixth-round selection. In exchange, the Vikings sent them their 11th pick, their 129th fourth-round selection, and their 157th fifth-round selection.
“It’s fantastic to have more ammunition. Douglas stated, “It allows us greater flexibility.” There will be five or six options for moving up and moving back, and we’ll evaluate how the rest of this round goes before assembling our board for tomorrow night. We have a lot of freedom to try new things since we have those extra selections.
With Fashanu becoming the 28th Nittany Lion to be selected by the Green & White, the Jets have made frequent trips to Happy Valley throughout the years. Commencing with LB Ralph Baker (43rd, 1964), there were other notable Penn State Jets draft selections who were defensive backs. These included DE John Ebersole (98th, 1970), LB Greg Buttle (67th, 1976), LB Lance Mehl (69th, 1980), S Harry Hamilton (176th, 1984), and DT Lou Benfatti (94th, 1994).
Offensive performers for PSU have excelled in more recent times: TE Mickey Shuler (ranked 61st in 1978), RB Blair Thomas (2nd in 1990), OL Roger Duffy (196th in 1990), FB Richie Anderson (144th in 1993), TE Kyle Brady (9th in 1995), T Kareem McKenzie (79th in 2001), and most recently, QB Christian Hackenberg (ranked 51st in 2016).