As the 2024 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, April 25, plenty of prospective draftees will be waiting in the wings in Detroit, hoping to hear their names called in a coveted first-round selection. Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu will count himself among that group on Thursday, and the 2023 All-American is projected to be drafted within the first 20 overall picks. Fashanu redshirted in 2020 at Penn State before becoming a backup in 2021. He became a starter at LT in 2022 before his All-American 2023 season.
Olu Fashanu: Scouting Report
Fashanu clocks in at 6-foot-6 and 312 pounds, and in a remarkable statistic, never allowed a single sack throughout his college career. NBC’s Eric Froton expanded on Fashanu’s talents in his OT scouting report:
He earned the fourth-highest PFF pass-blocking grade in FBS with a miniscule 1.9% pressure rate last year, while allowing zero sacks in his entire collegiate career. While the PSU sentry’s pass pro acumen was Big Ten caliber right out of the box, his run blocking prowess took a little more time to develop. His 59th percentile run block grade in 2022 was a disappointing mark, and all five penalties he committed during his Penn State tenure were on run plays, which is understandable for a leggy 6-foot-6 young man who is growing into his frame and learning proper technique. But what stands out is the leap he made in that department this year, pacing the Nittany Lions’ OL with a pristine .3% blown run block rate on 338 run snaps.
Mock Draft landing spots
The Ringer’s Danny Kelly sends Fashanu to the Patriots at No. 11 overall. Field Yates has Fashanu taken at No. 14 by the Saints, and The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman sees him going to the Steelers at No. 20 overall. Feldman wrote: “At Penn State, where he was a team captain, he went up against many elite speed rushers every day at practice. Given his attitude and intelligence, he’s a good bet to continue to add polish to his game.”