Olu Fashanu is the NY Jets' most important insurance policy

When the NY Jets made the decision to use the 11th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu, they did so with the hope that he would be the team's long-term left tackle of the future.

Fashanu is a player the Jets are counting on to serve as a foundational building block on the offensive line for the foreseeable future, but he's also not someone they're relying on to be a starter as a rookie.

The Jets signed future Hall of Famer Tyron Smith in the offseason, and Fashanu is expected to serve as his primary backup at left tackle in 2024. In a perfect world, Fashanu won't even see the field in his rookie season.

But the Jets know this isn't a perfect world, especially when it comes to their injury-riddled (but talented!) left tackle. The Jets fully expect Fashanu to play in 2024, and it's one of the reasons they drafted him in the first place.

The NY Jets know that Olu Fashanu will play as a rookie

The Jets drafted Fashanu partially because they were eyeing a long-term left tackle solution, but they also did so because they knew they needed an insurance policy behind their current starter.

Smith remains one of the best left tackles in the NFL when healthy. The eight-time Pro Bowler is coming off a 2023 season in which he finished with the highest Pro Football Focus pass-block grade of his illustrious career en route to earning second-team All-Pro honors.

It was the first time Smith had appeared in 13 or more games since 2019, a direct result of his limited practice plan which was designed to keep him healthy. The Jets intend to organize a similar plan for Smith in 2024, but they also understand the reality of the situation.

Smith is going to miss games this season. It would be foolish to expect a 33-year-old tackle who hasn't played a full season since the Obama administration to play all 17 games. That's where Fashanu comes into play.

The Jets fully anticipate that Fashanu will start games in 2024. How many remains to be seen, but the Jets are preparing him with the assumption that he will start as a rookie.

And in a worst-case scenario, the Jets trust Fashanu to step into a starting role as a rookie and see extensive action. After all, Smith has played four or fewer games in two of the last four seasons. The Jets know there's a reality in which he misses significant time in 2024.

Fashanu is the ultimate insurance policy. He's a highly-touted first-round pick who would immediately be thrust into the starting lineup for most teams. The Jets have quite literally never had an offensive lineman drafted this high sit on the bench as a rookie.

But Fashanu isn't a luxury. He isn't a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency depth piece who can start in a pinch. He's a necessity — a much-needed safeguard at a crucial position.

The Jets' plan is for Olu Fashanu to be their long-term left tackle of the future, but everyone in the organization is aware that the future might come sooner than expected.

This article is part of the "Summer Spotlight" series on The Jet Press, dedicated to highlighting individual players on the Jets roster throughout the summer. Stay tuned for more features as we provide in-depth profiles and insights on various Jets players before the season kicks off.

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