The one positive byproduct of the New York Jets’ disastrous 2023 season was the fact that they had a high pick in the super-talented 2024 NFL Draft, giving them the opportunity to add a key piece, if not a future Pro Bowler.
There was plenty of speculation about who they would use that pick on, and many figured they would go with an offensive tackle, especially since they had one of the league’s worst offensive lines in 2023 and a 40-year-old quarterback in Aaron Rodgers.
New York ended up taking Olu Fashanu from Penn State University, and some wondered why they went with him instead of some of the bigger names who were available.
Jets GM Joe Douglas said they took Fashanu because they believe he can play his role at a high level, per Paul Andrew Esden.
“With Olu, you’re just getting a highly productive left tackle. That was a priority. Someone that can play left tackle. His pass protection, his production, very little pressures, no sacks. A very talented pass protector and a very good run blocker in our opinion. I know there was some public opinion that he wasn’t a great run blocker but he gets the job done at a high level,” Douglas said.
The top offensive tackle available in the draft was Joe Alt, who went at No. 5 to the Los Angeles Chargers, but the Jets could’ve opted for someone such as Troy Fautanu or Taliese Fuaga.
Their offensive line was one of the league’s worst in 2023, and they took their first step toward improving it weeks ago when they signed Tyron Smith, an eight-time Pro Bowler, in free agency.
But Smith is 33 years of age, and he simply isn’t a long-term solution.
The feeling regarding the Jets this coming season is that if Rodgers, who tore his Achilles in Week 1 last year, plays at a high level, they can be very competitive and perhaps even a dark-horse Super Bowl contender.
But the team needs to have an eye on the future, and if Fashanu will pan out, he could be a cornerstone for years to come.
