Before the draft, NFL analyst Brian Baldinger offered a comparison of who Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu reminds him of.
“My comp is Tyron Smith coming out of USC,” Baldinger said on his podcast. “Very similar physically.”
Well, now with the Jets picking Fashanu in the first round, 11th overall, the Penn State product will be backing up the very man he was compared to, at the left tackle position.
Baldinger had Fashanu as his second-rated tackle behind Notre Dame’s Joe Alt, who went to the Los Angeles Chargers at five.
“He’s 6-6, 312, good sized arms, ran a good time,” Baldinger said. “I thought he was as good as any offensive tackle in the draft last year (2023) and stayed in the school another year.”
While Fashanu might not start immediately with Smith and Morgan Moses on the team, but out of the gate, he gives the Jets a great insurance policy behind the veterans.
“You start grooming him, and if one of those guys gets hurt, at least [you] have an elite guy to protect Aaron Rodgers,” Baldinger said.
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