Olumuyiwa Fashanu OT Penn State: Scouting Report

Height: 6’6

Weight: 317

Overall

Olu Fashanu is a massive left tackle in Penn State’s balanced offense. In his 4 seasons with the Nittany Lions, he played in 29 games, starting 21 of them. He played a big part in Penn State’s offensive success these past 2 seasons and he has the talent to make an impact very early in his career.

Pass Game

Fashanu excels as a pass blocker. He has good footwork getting to his pass sets and he plays with very good balance and strength in his lower body. He has excellent size and long arms allowing him to swallow up edge rushers and keeping them in front of him. He plays with great technique but when he gets tangled up in his legs he lacks the foot speed to recover making it difficult for him to block against faster, more agile defensive ends. He has a very good anchor to defend bullrushes but he will occasionally give up too much ground with his technique, shrinking the pocket behind him. At times, when a play is extended and a defender breaks free from his initial block, he will fail to reset his feet causing him to extend his arms and hold defender resulting in penalties. His fundamentals are sound and he was consistent in his pass blocking reps on film but he needs to improve his foot speed to be better suited against NFL level speed rushers.

Run Game

In the run game, Fashanu shows flashes of dominance but is very inconsistent with technique and aggressiveness. He has a good initial punch to push defenders off the line of scrimmage but he rarely drives his legs down the field allowing defenders to get around him and get to the ball-carrier early in plays. He rarely shows aggressiveness in his run blocking and his heavy feet make it difficult for him to block down the field. He was occasionally used as a pulling lineman but he lacks the athleticism to be effective while on the move. On short yardage plays he has the initial strength and power to be very effective, but his lack of nastiness and leg drive make it easier for edge rushers to blow up plays close to the line of scrimmage.

Last Word

Fashanu projects best as a pass-protecting left tackle in a pass heavy offense. While he needs to improve his foot speed in pass pro, he has the physical tools and lower body strength to be very effective in the pass game early in his career. As a run blocker, he has the size and power to be dominant but his lack of leg drive and aggressiveness is very concerning going into the pros. He has the tools to be a very good starter in the NFL but he needs to continue to develop.

One-Liner: Olu Fashanu is a massive left tackle who excels in pass protection but his lack of athleticism and run blocking aggression need to be addressed before he can be a dominant player.

Grade: 6.8 (Solid Starter with 2 Position Flexibility)

Games Watched: 2023 - Iowa, Illinois, Ohio State

Team Fits: Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Washington Commanders