In the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, with the #11 pick overall, the New York Jets selected Olumuyiwa (Olu) Fashanu, a 6’6” 311 lb offensive tackle from Penn State. He was a stud Left Tackle (LT) for the Nittany Lions, that played for 4 years and started for 2, protecting the blind side of QB’s Sean Clifford and Drew Allar. In his college career, he gave up 1 sack. That’s right, just 1. In the past two seasons, he started 20 games and in 681 pass-blocking snaps allowed zero sacks and 1 QB hit (per the Jets website). This is even more impressive as he was going up against Big 10 defenses like Michigan, Ohio State, and Wisconsin.
He is known as a top-notch pass blocker, which will be important with Aaron Rodgers coming back from his Achilles injury and being a 40 year old QB for the Jets. His development area is in run blocking, which he will look to improve upon and learn from Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses (more on that below).
The Jets were initially slated to pick #10 in the first round but traded down 1 spot, to #11 with the Minnesota Vikings, which resulted in the pick for Fashanu. He was one of the top tackle prospects entering the draft cycle, and should be a good pro for the next decade. Ideally, he’d become the next D’Brickashaw Ferguson, a bookend LT that the team doesn’t have to worry about for a decade. Given the Jets current roster makeup, he may not see the field much this season, which has created some questions on if the pick was the right one so high in the 1st round.
The Trade with the Minnesota Vikings
As mentioned above, the Jets were set to pick #10 in Round 1, followed by the Minnesota Vikings at #11. However, the Jets traded the #10 overall selection, along with a 6th rounder (#203 overall) to the Vikes and received back the #11 pick, a 4th round selection (#129) and a 5th rounder (#157).
The Vikings selected J.J. McCarthy, QB from Michigan, with the #10 pick acquired from the Jets. Their motivation in making this deal was to block any other teams (Denver Broncos?) from getting their chosen franchise quarterback of the future. The Vikings had brought in Sam Darnold (the NFL is a small world, Jets fans certainly remember Darnold) after Kirk Cousins left for Atlanta in the off-season. This move gives coach Kevin O’Connell a new QB to build around for the future. With the expected run on QB’s in the top 3 of Round 1 (Caleb Williams to Chicago, Jayden Daniels to Washington, and Drake Maye to New England), the Atlanta Falcons (Cousins’ current team) surprised the NFL world by selecting QB Michael Penix with the #8 selection. Trading with the Jets to go to #10 prevented other teams that would have wanted McCarthy from getting to that slot. With Aaron Rodgers on the roster and the team in win-now mode, the Jets were not going to be selecting a QB with the #10 pick. If McCarthy is successful in Minnesota, no one will ever remember the trade and (relatively minor) cost to move up to ensure that he went to the Vikings.
The Jets motivation for making this move was to gain another 4th rounder, and move their 6th rounder up to a 5th, at no risk of losing a player they wanted. The Jets were not going to take a QB and it was a certainty that Minnesota was. This trade was a good one for the Jets, with no risk moving down 1 spot and increasing their draft capital on Day 3 of the draft.
Olu Fashanu’s Fit on the Jets
It is usually a QB that is taken in Round 1 and not expected to play right away. If Fashanu only sees a bit of time on the field this season, the Jets and their fans would be just fine with that.
The positive vibes that come with Fashanu not seeing the field in 2024 is what caused some negative reaction to his pick. For a team in win-now mode, the #11 selection should normally be an impact player from Day 1, again with the exception being a QB that might be on the bench for a year (or a few) learning from a veteran before being thrown to the wolves.
The Jets bolstered the offensive tackle position through free agency this offseason. Heading into training camp, the Left Tackle (LT) spot is set to be manned by Tyron Smith. Smith is 33 years old and has played 13 years in the NFL, but has not played all games in a season since 2015. In 2023, he played 13 of 17 games for the Dallas Cowboys, and in 2022 only played in 4. When he is on the field, it’s hard to name a better tackle in the game. Smith is an 8-time Pro Bowler and 5-time All-Pro. He was named 2nd team All-Pro by the Associated Press (AP) in 2023. At the Right Tackle (RT) spot, the Jets traded with the Baltimore Ravens to bring back Morgan Moses, who started 16 of 17 games at RT for the Jets in 2021. While he has been more healthy than Smith over the past few years (played in 14 games with Baltimore in 2023), he is a 10-year NFL veteran and is also 33 years old. So, while the tackle spots are manned by solid veterans not to be displaced by a rookie, the age of both of them as well as injury concerns make it an almost certainty that Fashanu will see the field as a Tackle in 2024. It will also be good for Fashanu to learn from Smith and Moses. In interviews after he was selected, Fashanu was excited to play with, and learn from, Smith in particular.
Aaron Rodgers was very complimentary of the pick. While he is not likely to criticize the Front Office publicly, this is important as it would have been easy for the Jets to draft Brock Browers, the Tight End (TE) out of Georgia. That would have given Rodgers another weapon for the offense. They could have also tried to move up for Rome Odunze (picked #9 by the Chicago Bears), one of the top 3 receivers in the draft. Instead, GM Joe Douglas added a lineman. As last season reinforced, keeping Rodgers healthy and playing is going to be the biggest unlock to the team improving. Having Fashanu there to step in for Smith or Moses is a good thing. It’s not the flashy pick like the WR Odunze or TE Bowers would have been, but it’s the smart pick. The WR room is in good shape with Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams (free agent addition from the Chargers) leading the group. Allen Lazard, who did not do enough in 2023, is back and will be looking for a rebound year with Rodgers at the helm. Additionally, in Round 3, with the first pick of the round, the Jets traded up to draft Malachi Corley out of Western Kentucky. The self-proclaimed YAC King will provide another weapon, and is the type of weapon Rodgers loves to throw to in the short passing game. This obviously lessens the effect of not getting a playmaker in Round 1. At TE, Tyler Conklin and Jeremy Ruckert are a good combination and place the Jets in the upper half of the league at the position, in my opinion.
There has also been some chatter, fed by Rodgers on The Pat McAfee Show, of trying Fashanu at Guard. I would advise against this. Rookie tackles usually come in to the NFL and struggle a bit early on. Adding the complexity of learning a new position on top of the speed of playing in the NFL seems like unneeded complexity for Fashanu. The Guard spots are expected to be manned by John Simpson (LG) and Alijah Vera-Tucker (RG). AVT is coming off an Achilles injury, but again I don’t see the benefit of making Fashanu a utility offensive lineman. He should be penciled in as LT for a decade, filling in after Smith.
Grading the Pick
Overall, I give the pick a B+. My gut reaction was a B, as it’s hard to give a pick in the top half of the first round an A that won’t be starting from Day 1 (again, QB’s excluded). What pushed this to a B+ is the no-risk trade by Joe Douglas that brought in additional draft capital in the 4th Round and moved a 6th round pick to the 5th.
Written by: Jason Krom
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