NFL.com Lead Draft Writer Eric Edholm released his 3.0 and Final Mock Draft of this draft season, and with the 21st pick, Chris Grier selects a player that will make Mike McDaniel and Frank Smith very happy.
Round 1, Pick #21: Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT – Penn St
“This was a shade lower than I imagined Fashanu going, but the Dolphins won’t complain. We can assume they’ll want to find Terron Armstead‘s possible replacement. Could Fashanu — who played left tackle exclusively in college — kick inside if needed? Maybe. But the talent would be too enticing to pass on here either way, I suspect.”
NFL.com Draft Profile
Overview
A toolsy two-year starter with loads of potential, Fashanu is still learning to be less mechanical and more instinctive with his play. At this point, he could impose his traits upon most collegiate opponents and stack the deck in his favor. As a pro, he will need to play with better control and more consistent technique to prevent being countered and beaten by NFL talent. There is still room to get bigger and stronger, but he’s already playing with good focus and drive as a run blocker. Issues with footwork and landmarks can be corrected with more coaching. He’s long and has really effective recovery agility to help keep his quarterback clean, but inconsistent pass slides and excessive leaning could make things harder than they need to be early on. Overall, the work ethic, traits and tape make it easier to project Fashanu’s continued improvement into a very good left tackle.
Strengths
- Prototypical height/weight/length with proportional mass as left tackle.
- Team captain; head coach called him a “high production, low maintenance” guy.
- Grip strength can shut down a rush once he gets locked in.
- Can swivel open outside half to mirror around the arc and keep the pocket closed.
- Uses technique and bend to help stall rush momentum and drop anchor.
- Fits up base blocks with good strike, leverage and drive.
- Improved fight and strain in power swaps at point of attack from 2022 to 2023.
- Controlled lateral slides help cut off moving targets as second-level blocker.
- Length is best served as a recovery mechanism to corral leaky opponents.
Weaknesses
- Inconsistent slide width creates inconsistent body control in his mirror.
- Needs better patience and timing to eliminate lunging with his punch.
- Forward lean into rushers will get him countered as a pro.
- Must learn to step down to B-gap sooner to protect against T/E twists.
- Oversteps landmarks, diminishing leverage and control as run blocker.
- Needs to improve footwork/positioning post-contact to improve block finishing.
- Struggles to reach back-side cutoffs due to faulty technique off the snap.
PFN Draft Profile
Olu Fashanu Scouting Report
Strengths
- Tall, strong, and sturdy frame with excellent length and overall proportions.
- Amped-up mover for his size with excellent foot speed and short-area athleticism.
- Has stifling play strength at contact, quickly stalling rushers confined within his frame.
- Possesses the elite power capacity to displace defenders and drive them upfield easily.
- Easily reloads and re-exerts to maximize power on punches and has superb torque.
- Has the torso flexibility to recoil and quickly absorb initial shockwaves at contact.
- Has extremely natural leverage acquisition and knee bend, sustaining leverage on reps.
- Extremely well-balanced and well-leveraged in pass protection, with tremendous feel.
- Has a very stable blocking axis and effortlessly maintains the center of gravity on recovery.
- Can sequentially extend to lock out and gather opponents when matching to the apex.
- Has excellent timing and patience with extensions and maintains upper-lower synergy.
- Can bait rushers into going vertical with angular sets, then adjust and match vertically.
- Employs quick and controlled feet and can adjust his tempo to match rushers.
- Alert and unbothered blocker with lightning-quick reaction speed on stunts.
- Routinely capitalizes on imbalanced defenders and can finish opponents on the turf.
Weaknesses
- Doesn’t quite have elite range or change-of-direction in space as a moving blocker.
- Grip strength doesn’t always prevent defenders from working across the face.
- Sometimes, two-hand extensions are high, allowing rushers to shrink under the frame.
- Occasionally struggles to unhinge in recovery fully and can be late with recalibration.
- Sometimes fails to reset his feet while reacting and responding to stunts.
- Occasionally leans back past his center of gravity when tracking in pass pro.
- Exposes himself to power when he retracts his base by managing stunt positioning.
- Sometimes drifts too tall as a moving blocker and fails to sustain pulling blocks.
- Can still attain more consistency driving power from his base on run blocks.
