New York Giants Draft Prospect: OT Olumuyiwa Fashanu

Nick takes a look at another top offensive lineman prospect in this year's draft.
New York Giants Draft Prospect: OT Olumuyiwa Fashanu
New York Giants Draft Prospect: OT Olumuyiwa Fashanu /

Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT

Height: 6’6
Weight: 317 lbs.
Class: Senior
School: Penn State

A former three-star recruit out of Gonzaga High School in Washington, D.C., who was the sixth-ranked recruit in the capitol and the 45th-ranked OT during the 2020 recruiting cycle. Fashanu was the Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year and a consensus All-American in 2023 while earning Second-Team All-Big Ten in 2022.

According to Pro Football Focus, Fashanu never allowed a sack in 1,349 pass-blocking reps in college football; he only allowed 17 pressures in college, ten were in 2023, and almost all of his snaps were at LT. Fashanu returned to school after the 2022 season to earn his degree in supply chain and information systems, which he did earn.

Strengths

  • Elite height and wingspan with a dense lower half
  • High-cut in the hips, with a wide base
  • Good overall athlete who is explosive and agile
  • Super light feet, good foot-speed, light dancing bear
  • Good short area quickness to locate and close width upon the enemy
  • Flexible in his lower half - can dip/bend low and explode into contact
  • Explodes low to high and lifts defender’s center of gravity when handling power as a pass blocker
    • Similar to Lane Johnson’s technique
  • Size/frame are coupled with good framing to pose a difficult challenge for defenders to defeat when pass-rushing
  • Quick jump set and 45-degree set to gain advantage with positioning
  • Flexibility allows him to dip low and reset anchor
  • Solid overall anchor - did struggle badly against Ohio State
  • Does well to match defenders up the pass-rushing arc
  • Effortless ability to flip hips and change direction in pass set
  • Does very well in COMBO and climb situations on down blocks up to linebackers
  • Location skills at the second level were solid
  • Scoop/Reach well and is a good fit for a zone-based system
  • Gets his hips swiveled around COMBO blocks to eliminate IDL from the play side
  • Good backside blocker, excellent competitive toughness and hustle
  • Good overall play strength and power - balanced player
  • Will be 21 years old for most of his rookie season


Weaknesses

  • Hands get wide and wild; need refinement
  • Adequate overall footwork and angle discretion - a bit raw in this area
  • Would like to see more efficiency with establishing contact/control in pass protection other than exploding low-to-high-location issues that were evident in this area
  • Chest is exposed too often
  • Eyes were a bit too inconsistent - too frequently missed his assignment or misjudged.
  • Could handle post-snap movement and gap exchanges more cleanly
  • Could be more physical
  • Hands could have more pop in pass protection

Summary

Olumuyiwa Fashanu has the prototypical size/frame to play left tackle in the NFL, with the necessary athletic traits to be successful. He’s a bit raw with his feet, eyes, and how he engages with his hands, nor is he the most powerful tackle with physically imposing punches, but he’s a very good run defender who positions himself well in pass protection. Fashanu is a rangy - quick - and long offensive tackle with a very high ceiling who will likely hear his name called early in the 2024 NFL Draft.

GRADE: 6.64


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Nick Falato


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Nick Falato
NICK FALATO

Nick Falato is co-host of the Big Blue Banter podcast. In addition to Giants Country, his work has appeared on SB Nation.