by J.T. Toth
Photo courtesy of 247 Sports.
The NFL Draft talk never ends, and we are here at Draft 412 in an effort to keep you ready for the next set of gridiron stars. From today until draft night 2024, we will bring you mocks, profiles, team needs, and everything else related to the 2024 NFL Draft.
Today’s Spotlight - Penn State Offensive Tackle, Olu Fashanu
Name- Olumuyiwa Fashanu
Pos- OT
Team- Penn State
HT/WT- 6’6” 321 lbs.
Born- 12/9/2002
Home – Waldorf, MD
Olu Fashanu was a 3-star recruit out of Gonzaga High School in Washington D.C. He was teammates with USC quarterback, Caleb Williams, who will also be one of the top prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Fashanu selected Penn State and redshirted his freshman season. In his redshirt season, he still played in 9 games and got his first start in the final game of the season in the Outback Bowl.
Fashanu started the first 8 games in 2022 and made a name for himself instantly. He got hurt in week 9 and missed the rest of the regular season, but was considered by most to be a high first round pick in the 2023 draft despite his season-ending injury. Even though he was guaranteed to be selected in round one of the 2023 draft, Fashanu announced early that he’d return to Penn State for the 2023-2024 season.
Fashanu’s blessed with the size and reach that NFL teams want in their left tackles. He understands his angles, is effective in space, and is able to rotate and drop hips to get leverage on smaller defenders. His long arms and heavy hands instantly neutralize defenders. A high character prospect, Fashanu still plays with a nasty side. He possesses an above average football IQ and is able to knock back pass rushers. He is truly a complete tackle.
Since Fashanu has only started nine games in college, the upcoming 2023-2024 season should go a long way into solidifying his standing as the #1 tackle off the board next year.
If he has a downside, it’s that he can be off-balance at times and overextends when he doesn’t need to. On film, his impatience is best seen when he does not wait for the defender to get into him, which sometimes causes balance issues. He has choppy footwork which he will need to work on to excel at the next level.
Strengths
Size
Good reach/heavy hands
Good football IQ/has a good work ethic/nasty streak
Effective in space
Adequate foot speed, able to get to second level
Weaknesses
Balance issues at times
Only 9 games started in college
Choppy footwork
Impatient at times
Final Analysis
Coming back to school for another season when you are a guaranteed first round pick is risky. If Olu Fashanu can stay healthy and continue to get better, he may parlay this season into becoming a 2024 Top 5 pick. He may end up being the best offensive tackle prospect in this draft.
Prediction- Top 5 pick in 2024.