After starting at left tackle in the Jets’ preseason opener last Saturday against the Washington Commanders, Olu Fashanu‘s second week of August football saw him flip sides.
The 2024 NFL Draft’s No. 11 overall pick, who rose to stardom as Penn State’s starting left tackle from 2022-23, is playing right tackle for the first time in his career.
He worked the position throughout the Jets’ joint practices with the Carolina Panthers and continued there in Saturday’s 15-12 preseason win.
“It was a great experience,” Fashanu said. “Obviously never played at right tackle before in an actual game. So it felt really good, just getting game reps. It’s just going to help me in the long run for my career, just being versatile, being able to play multiple positions. So, it’s good.”
Jets coach Robert Saleh “thought he did a nice job.”
“He handled it well,,” Saleh said. “That first practice he was at right was pretty rough for him, and I thought he kind of got better as the week went on. He had the holding penalty today. But overall, I thought he did a good job.”
The 6-foot-6, 312-pound Fashanu was the draft’s third offensive tackle off the board behind the Los Angeles Chargers’ Joe Alt and Tennessee Titans’ JC Latham.
“It definitely is an adjustment from always playing left tackle to transitioning to right tackle, and I definitely had my fair share of reps that I needed to work on, but I think I’m in a good spot right now and I just need to continue to get better,” Fashanu said.
While Fashanu learns on the fly, the Jets’ offensive line comes together as a unit.
“I thought our O-line, our run game and our protection was outstanding, which was a big thing I was looking forward to seeing,” Saleh said. “That’s a top-five defense. They’re well-coached. They’re very good up front. I thought our O-line was really, really good in the practice.
“Obviously, there was a couple of turnovers. But I thought we moved the ball really well, got into positions to score. Aaron (Rodgers) looked…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/jets-first-round-pick-olu-034642257.html
Author : SNY
Publish date : 2024-08-18 03:46:42
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