Tag: Olu Fashanu

Jets vs. Vikings: 3 key matchups to watch in Week 5

Jets vs. Vikings: 3 key matchups to watch in Week 5

The New York Jets will face the Minnesota Vikings in their upcoming Week 5 matchup.

Even with it being a a cross-conference clash, it will still be the games, within the game, that will make all the difference.

Here are three key matchups to watch during Sunday’s Jets (2-2) against the Vikings (4-0) matchup:

CB Sauce Gardner vs. WR Justin Jefferson

(USAT)

This one needs little introduction.

Gardner is considered among the NFL’s best at his position. The same can be said for Jefferson.

It’s a battle of heavyweights here which will be fun to watch.

OL Olu Fashanu vs. ED Pat Jones II

(Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

The Jets offensive line, as a whole, must play better than they did last week. New York’s first-round rookie in Olu Fashanu did not play well in his first start. Pro Football Focus dropped his overall grade for the season all the way down to 45.3 after that outing, which is the third-worst of any tackle in the NFL.

Fashanu will see plenty of edge defender Pat Jones II. The Vikings defender has five sacks.

LB Jamien Sherwood vs. QB Sam Darnold

(Imagn)

As is always the case, it’s a full-defensive effort to stop an opposing quarterback. However, CJ Mosley (toe) is unlikely to play again meaning Sherwood will be in position to be the “quarterback” of the Jets defense once again. He needs to make sure that the Jets defense is in position to stop Darnold throughout the day. Mosley would have had a bit of a leg up on Sherwood, potentially. He was one of Darnold’s former teammates in New York.

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Jets vs. Broncos: 3 key matchups to watch in Week 4

Jets vs. Broncos: 3 key matchups to watch in Week 4

The New York Jets will host the Denver Broncos in their upcoming Week 4 matchup.

Even with it being a big, early season AFC clash, it will still be the games, within the game, that will make all the difference.

Here are three key matchups to watch during Sunday’s Jets (2-1) against the Broncos  (1-2) matchup:

OL Olu Fashanu vs. ED Jonathon Cooper

 (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Pretty simple one here: How does Fashanu look in his first-career start? Cooper will be lining up on the edge on the right side of the Jets’ offensive line. Cooper has three sacks so far this season and Pro Football Focus grades him positively in the run game, too. He is PFF’s 10th best edge defender against the run this season (73.3).

DL Quinnen Williams vs. OL Luke Wattenberg

(USAT)

Coming into Sunday’s matchup, PFF has ranked Wattenberg as the 31st best center in the NFL with an overall grade of 51.5. That’s No. 31 out of 32 qualifying centers. That is bad.

Williams looked elite against the New England Patriots in Week 3. And as we saw, if he has a big game, that ripples down the Jets’ defensive front. If Williams can do that again, it’s going to be a bad day to be Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix.

WR Garrett Wilson vs. CB Patrick Surtain II

 (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

The Broncos’ secondary is among the best in the NFL so far this season. Even so, the Jets still have Aaron Rodgers at quarterback who should be trying to keep Denver’s defense on their toes by toss the ball around the yard. Let’s see him and Wilson officially have a breakout party in this one against Surtain.

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Aaron Rodgers has elite comparison for Jets rookie Olu Fashanu

Aaron Rodgers has elite comparison for Jets rookie Olu Fashanu

The bar is already high for Olu Fashanu before his first-career start with the New York Jets.

Fashanu, the 11th overall pick at the 2024 NFL draft, is set to start in place of veteran offensive tackle Morgan Moses against the Denver Broncos in Week 4. During New York’s 24-3 win over the New England Patriots last week, Fashanu replaced Moses when he injured his knee and the veteran is slated to now miss multiple weeks.

Ahead of the big moment, Fashanu is confident.

“I’m pretty comfortable,” Fashanu said. “I feel like I’m in a pretty good spot right now.”

Against the Pats, Pro Football Focus graded Moses a 50.8 overall. PFF graded Fashanu a 70.8 during his 14 snaps played.

It’s a small sample size, but something to build on. Just like Aaron Rodgers’ comparison for Fashanu.

The Jets quarterback said Fashanu reminds him of one of the team’s all-time great offensive linemen: D’Brickashaw Ferguson.

“I don’t like to do a lot of comparisons, but I will in this case,” Rodgers said. “Very confident in him.”

Rodgers’ full comparison can be found in the clip below:

Taliese Fuaga was Week 1’s best rookie offensive tackle in pass protection

Taliese Fuaga delivered on the hype. He was ESPN’s best rookie offensive tackle in pass protection from Week 1’s games:

Taliese Fuaga delivered on the hype in his New Orleans Saints debut. He was ESPN’s best rookie offensive tackle in pass protection from Week 1’s games — ESPN sports analytics writer Seth Walder shared the pass block win rates for each of this year’s rookie starters, and Fuaga was head-and-shoulders above the rest.

Here’s where they ranked after Week 1 among the 60 starting offensive tackles:

  1. Taliese Fuaga, 94% (15th)
  2. Tyler Guyton, 84% (36th)
  3. Joe Alt, 79% (48th)
  4. Kingsley Suamataia, 69% (57th)
  5. J.C. Latham, 65% (59th)

Now there’s an important caveat here we should note; Week 1 isn’t over at the time of writing, with the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers kicking off on Monday night. But the only rookie offensive tackle competing in that game is Olu Fashanu, who isn’t starting for the Jets. Still, it’s likely that guys like Trent Williams and Morgan Moses could push Fuaga down the standings a little bit.

Either way, he’s immediately set high standards for himself. And we should remember that Fuaga is doing all of this at left tackle after exclusively lining up on the right side at Oregon State. He was fouled for a weak holding call against the Panthers but he’s known for not making the same mistake twice, and that was really the only big blemish on his first game as a pro. The sky’s the limit for what he can achieve moving forward.

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2024 Rookie preview: Olu Fashanu, OT, New York Jets

2024 Rookie preview for New York Jets top pick Olu Fashanu and how the OT from Penn State projects in 2024

The New York Jets went into the offseason looking to avoid anything close to the disaster of a season that they experienced last year. With high expectations remaining given the talent on the roster this team needed to ensure it protects Aaron Rodgers and prevents the disaster of him being injured for a second straight season. The mega free agent signing of Tyron Smith was step one, and finding quality depth behind him in former Penn State tackle Olu Fashanu sealed up their tackle depth for the season.

Fashanu walks into camp with the luxury of little pressure to play right away and fix the problems the offensive line had last season now that both sides of the line are secure with veterans Morgan Moses and the aforementioned Smith. Being able to learn behind those two quality veterans is going to work wonders for Fashanu and really allow him to maximize what is some enormous potential.

It’s hard to project any snaps for the rookie as both Smith and Moses are some of the best commodities in the league and stand to last he entire season protecting Aaron Rodgers at all costs. Should either one go down, Fashanu should be able to slide in on either side and continue a high level of play from one of the stronger tackle groups in the league.

Jets rookie Olu Fashanu gets praised by NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger

Olu Fashanu had some good moments in Saturday’s preseason game.

Not only is Olu Fashanu adjusting to life in the NFL, but the New York Jets rookie is also learning a new position. There is some promise here, so says NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger.

Fashanu, a first-round pick of the Jets, was a standout left tackle at Penn State and a multi-year All-Big Ten selection. On Saturday night, Fashanu played right tackle for the Jets in their preseason win at the Carolina Panthers.

For Baldinger, a former standout NFL offensive lineman who does outstanding work for the NFL Network as an analyst, there are some good building blocks here.

In a social media post on Tuesday, Baldinger highlighted some of the areas of development needed for Fashanu from Saturday’s preseason game. But, there were some significant signs of the Jets top draft pick getting it.

“When he gets his hands on guys, and he is moving his feet at the same time, he’s almost unbeatable,” Baldinger said.

“That’s good, he drops an anchor. You watch him right here, and this is good. Watch him…He likes to get underneath guys, and his legs are so strong.”

Baldinger cautioned that it will take time. Two years ago, he said that Tristan Wirfs was an All-Pro at right tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He moved to left tackle last year and “He said it took him 10 games until he started feeling comfortable.”

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Wirfs was an All-Pro selection in 2021 and 2022. He was named to the Pro Bowl last year for the third time in his career.

Olu Fashanu moves to right tackle, is impressive for the Jets

Olu Fashanu made his right tackle debut for the New York Jets.

In his first game at right tackle for the New York Jets, Olu Fashanu put together a solid performance. Fashanu, taken in the first round of this spring’s NFL draft, came to the Jets as a left tackle.

But it might be at right tackle where Fashanu will see the field the fastest for the Jets. That’s where Fashanu got the start in Saturday’s 15-12 win at the Carolina Panthers.

It was at left tackle while playing for Penn State that Fashanu earned multiple All-Big Ten honors over the past two years. He was named the top offensive lineman in the Big Ten last year.

For head coach Robert Saleh, it was a good performance from Fashanu as he acclimated to a different spot along the offensive line.

“New spot. It’s never easy. I thought he did a nice job. He handled it well,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh told reporters after the game.

“That first practice he was at right tackle was pretty rough for him, and I thought he got better as the week went on. He had the holding penalty today, but overall I thought he did a pretty good job.”

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The Jets moved to 2-0 on the season with their 15-12 win in Carolina.

What rookies (and a young player) stood out to Robert Saleh during the Jets joint practice?

Robert Saleh talks about his team’s joint practice.

Following Thursday’s joint practice, New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh highlighted several rookies who made an impression.

The Jets had a joint practice on Thursday with the Washington Commanders. The Jets will play their first preseason game on Saturday against the Commanders at MetLife Stadium.

Following the joint practice, Saleh was asked by reporters on Thursday about first-round pick Olu Fashanu (offensive tackle) and third round pick Malachi Corley (wide receiver). He highlighted two other young players in his answer about the rain-soaked joint practice.

“I know Malachi made a couple plays, there’s a couple plays I’m sure he wants back, like I said, it’s junky weather for receivers today, but we’ll see, I’ll get to the tape and have better answers for you tomorrow,” Saleh told the media.

“I felt good about what Olu looked like, but I thought [Andrew] Peasley did a nice job today, same thing with [Adrian] Martinez, so we’ll see what the tape looks like.”

Martinez signed with the Jets last week. He spent four years at Nebraska and then a single season at Kansas State before playing in the UFL last year where he was the MVP of the championship game.

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As for Peasley, he signed with the Jets in May as an undrafted free agent. He played collegiately at Utah State and then Wyoming.

 

 

Saints go same position but different player in B/R 2024 re-draft

The Saints were in desperate need of an OT in this year’s draft. In Bleacher Report’s do-over, they select a player who wasn’t originally on the board:

The New Orleans Saints entered the 2024 NFL draft desperately needing to address their offensive line, and that’s still true in this Bleacher Report re-draft. B/R’s Matt Holder kept the Saints’ theme of selecting an offensive tackle. This time the Saints went with Penn State’s Olu Fashanu opposed to the actual pick of Taliese Fuaga, who went to the Seattle Seahawks a few slots later. Fashanu was available because the New York Jets selected former LSU wide receiver Malik Nabors instead.

This re-draft was based on buzz coming out of minicamp and organized team activities. Players rose and fell in this draft based on how they performed in their first taste of NFL practices.

The New Orleans Saints were looking to find a new left tackle when they took Fuaga during the real draft in April. While that could end up being a good pick, Fashanu is available in this exercise and is the better pass protector of the two. Also, the Penn State product has more experience on the blind side and received rave reviews in minicamp.

Fashanu wasn’t an option in the actual draft. He was selected by the Jets at 11. Holder decided to have New York skip on the rookie tackle because he is slated to sit for a year behind Tyron Smith. There’s no one for him to sit behind on the Saints so Fashanu is headed to the Big Easy instead of the Big Apple.

But Fashanu and Fuaga have one clear advantage over the other one. The former is a true left tackle. Though it may seem simple, changing sides on the offensive line isn’t easy for everyone. The acclimation period is non existent for Fashanu in that specific aspect.

Fuaga’s advantage is he is used to this scheme because he ran a wide zone system in college. While he’s changing sides, he is still used to these types of run fits. That should ease his transition. The Saints needed an offensive lineman in the draft. Whether it was the real NFL draft or Holder’s re-draft, the mission has been accomplished.

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CBS Sports ranks 100 most important NFL players in 2024, including these former Nittany Lions

Which former Penn State players are considered some of the most important players in the NFL for the 2024 season according to CBS Sports?

He has yet to play a down of football in the NFL, but former Penn State offensive lineman [autotag]Olu Fashanu[/autotag] is already being considered one of the 100 most important players in the league this season. The first-round draft pick of the New York Jets was highlighted in a list of the top 100 most important NFL players by CBS Sports for the upcoming 2024 season, which not-so-coincidentally is 100 days away from kicking off. Fashanu was not alone in representing Penn State on this list.

Fashanu’s inclusion on the list makes sense given how much is riding on the health of Jets starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers. If you blinked last season at the worn time, then you may have missed Rodgers’ 2023 NFL season. Rodgers was injured on one of the first plays of the year leading the Jets offense, giving the franchise even more reason to find ways to protect him in 2024. Fashanu, being one of the top offensive linemen in the NFL draft this past spring, was a pretty obvious pick for the franchise. And because of his role on the offensive line, it makes sense why Fashanu would be considered one of the most important players in 2024. The Jets have big hopes and dreams and it all relies on keeping Rodgers healthy. No pressure, Fashanu.

The CBS Sports list breaks the list down by division rather than providing any sort of overall ranking comparing players. In the NFC East, Dallas Cowboys linebacker-turned-defensive end [autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag] was highlighted as one of the most important players on the Cowboys’ roster. Parsons has played linebacker for the Cowboys since entering the league, although the team has worked him at various positions. This year will see Parsons spending more time on the edge of the line.

In the same division, running back [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag] was singled out as one of the most important players on the roster of the Philadelphia Eagles. Barkley signed with the Eagles after not being retained by the New York Giants.

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Former Penn State quarterback [autotag]Will Levis[/autotag], who transferred from Penn State to Kentucky to finish his college career, was also included on the list. Levis is entering his second season as the franchise quarterback of the Tennessee Titans.

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