Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
Size:
Height: 6’6”
Weight: 312 pounds
Arm Length: 34”
Hand Size: 8 1/2"
Accomplishments:
Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year (2023) • First Team All-Big-Ten (2023) • Academic All-Big Ten (2023)
“Given Olu Fashanu’s physical tools and athleticism, he exceeds the standard for what's necessary to be a dominant pass-protecting LT on the next level.”
Strengths:
Prototypical size (height/length/wingspan)
Lateral agility to mirror pass rushers
Strength in his lower half to anchor in pass protection
Range to cover ground in the run game and screens
High motor
Concerns:
Occasionally plays with high pad level
Limited movement at the line of scrimmage in the run game
Will occasionally overset in pass protection
Film Analysis:
Olu Fashanu is a left tackle prospect who checks all of the height-weight-length boxes. He has great body mass and is well-proportioned, which has aided him in being an exceptional athlete at the tackle position. This athleticism aids Fashanu in both pass protection and as a run blocker, as he can execute a wide variety of blocks.
In pass protection, Fashanu plays light on his feet and appears with ease to get great depth on his pass sets, often meeting or beating the defender to the apex point. This allows Fashanu to set up and begin to engage the defender by throwing punches and hand counters. Fashnu has good strength in his hands which is evident by how he can impact and slow defenders in their pass rush with his punches. Fashanu has also shown the lateral agility to react to defenders' counter moves and retrace his steps to close the distance. Fashanu has a mixed bag of moves and can overwhelm defenders at times if he chooses to quickly set them and squeeze the rush by quickly getting on top of them and utilizing his mass and length in an attempt to win quickly. The strength of Fashanu is evident by his ability to anchor against pass rushers who opt to convert speed to power. He can anchor, preventing them from getting to the quarterback.
As a run blocker, Fashanu showcases best when he can use his athleticism to execute reach blocks, working to the second level, and as a puller to get into space with the body control to locate defenders. Fashanu does a plus-level job of making contact with defenders and using his size to force defenders to have to work around him.
While Fashanu has many high-level traits, there are detailed elements of his game that can use improvement. Fashanu occasionally plays with a high pad level which negatively impacts him in pass protection, allowing defenders to get leverage on him and drive him backward. It also impacts how well he can recover and retrace his steps to react to defenders' inside-counter moves. Lastly, the pad-level issue shows in the run game. The high pad level occasionally prevents Fashanu from getting great leverage on a defender and being able to latch on and drive them back off the football. This reduces the power that he can generate and impacts his strength at the point of contact.
Prospect Projection: Day 1 — Rare, All-Pro
Written By: Keith Sanchez
Exposures: Auburn (2022), Ohio State (2022), Michigan (2022), Minnesota (2022)
