In April, after the Jets selected him 11th overall out of Penn State, general manager Joe Douglas said they planned to keep Olu Fashanu strictly at left tackle.
A lot has changed for the Jets during the last six months.
Because of injuries on the offensive line, Fashanu played three different offensive line positions during his rookie campaign, two of which he had never played before.
“It’s definitely been a new experience,” Fashanu said. “Just going from primarily playing just one position to now being able to play three different positions, it’s definitely an experience. I’m just taking it day by day.
“It kind of been the next man up mentality that you have to have in the NFL,” Fashanu said. “Obviously, last week, I was working a lot at guard and tackle, but I was locked in on whatever position I had to play.
“It definitely felt a bit different at left tackle, but that’s where I’ve been playing for most of my life up until I got here. It was all natural at the end of the day.
This year was supposed to be Fashanu’s redshirt season after the Jets signed Tyron Smith to a one-year contract in March. Not only has Fashanu played left tackle, but he has also seen time at both right tackle and right guard, positions he did not play at all when he was at Penn State.
When Morgan Moses was out due to a knee injury he suffered in September’s win against the Patriots, Fashanu started for him in Week 4 against the Broncos and Week 5 against the Vikings. Then, after Alijah Vera-Tucker suffered an ankle injury and Xavier Newman was taken to the hospital during the Jets’ loss to the Steelers, Fashanu was forced to play at right guard.
Fashanu then practiced all last week at right guard because Vera-Tucker’s status against the Cardinals was in question. Vera-Tucker played last Sunday, but Fashanu came off the bench to play left tackle because Smith suffered a neck injury and did not return.
Fashanu finished the game against Arizona with a 75.7 Pro Football Focus grade, the second-highest out of all the Jets players in Week 10. He also earned an 83.7 PFF run-blocking grade.
What Fashanu is doing is unprecedented, and his teammates are not ignoring it. During his media availability, Fashanu’s offensive line teammates cheered him on and chanted, “Olu, Olu,” and expressed their happiness at his success.
“They’ve been a huge help,” Fashanu said about his teammates. “To be in the room with guys as accomplished as them, that’s all you can ask for as a rookie. It is not just them, it is genuinely everyone in the room.
“Everyone in the room is super helpful, Tyron, John [Simpson], Morgan, AVT [Vera-Tucker], Tip [Tippmann], all the guys. They’ve just been around me throughout this process and I’m super thankful to be in that room.”
Even Aaron Rodgers came from his locker and smiled like a proud father, watching his son grow up right before his eyes while Fashanu spoke.
“The ability to take in information and go in there and execute to the best of his ability,” Moses said about Fashanu. “We’ve said it all along, the way he comes into the building as a rookie every day and concentrates on what needs to be concentrated on and he goes out there and tries to perfect it.
“He listens to the vets, he listens to the coaches, he’s just a well-rounded football player. You can’t ask for anything more from a rookie to get thrown around at different positions. Starting at right guard, preparing at right guard all week, then it’s like, ‘Oh, I gotta go play left tackle,’ it is one of the hardest things to do.
“He doesn’t blink, he doesn’t ask questions, he just goes in and does the job to the best of his abilities. Then, he will go to the sideline, ask questions and he will take in information and that’s what you want as a rookie. Someone that’s so willing to be selfless because he’s a first-round pick and he can be like, ‘No, I play left tackle.’ But he’s like, I will do anything for the team to get on the field, and I’m going to do it to the best of my abilities, and you appreciate a guy like that.”
Fashanu may get an opportunity to start his first NFL game at left tackle this Sunday against the Colts. Smith has missed the last two days of practice following his neck injury.
During his 231 snaps this season at either left tackle, right tackle, or right guard, Fashanu hasn’t allowed a sack. If Smith is out, this could pave the way for the Jets to start Fashanu at left tackle moving forward.
The 21-year-old will be Gang Green’s left tackle of the future, which is why they drafted him in the first place. Smith has struggled during his 10 starts this season. He has allowed five sacks and committed six penalties in 592 snaps.
“This is what I’m familiar with,” Fashanu said about potentially starting at left tackle against the Colts. “It is a sense of familiarity going back to the position I played in college and high school.”
