Mel Kiper Jr. evaluates Olu Fashanu as NFL Draft prospect, unfinished product

Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu was a three-star prospect and the No. 423 rated player in the country for his 2020 high school recruiting class according to the On3 Industry Ranking. But ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, he is regarded by most as one of the top prospects, projected to be a top 10 overall pick in April.

Fashanu’s stock skyrocketed throughout his college career with the Nittany Lions after protecting who is likely to be the No. 1 overall pick when he was in high school. And with the draft a few months away, ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. recently broke down Fashanu with Field Yates.

“Olu is a guy I watched in high school at Gonzaga with Caleb Williams and you saw the athleticism, and I’ve always compared him to Ronnie Stanley,” Kiper said. “Super athletic, just turned 21 years of age, he had the feet, the balance, you see him keeping that frame between the defensive end and the quarterback. I think when you look in the NFL that’s gonna be something where there’s developing to be done. Those great offensive line coaches, the 32 best offensive line coaches in the NFL, there’s a lot to work with here Field with Fashanu. He’s not yet a finished product, I think teams will like that.”

Fashanu comes with a lot of potential and a lot of upside as a younger player with plenty of room to grow. While Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt seems like a more refined prospect at the position, as the two top-rated offensive linemen in this year’s draft class will constantly be compared to one another all the way up until April 25.

“This was a battle royale and it still will be between Fashanu and Joe Alt from Notre Dame. Who is the best offensive tackle, the best left tackle in this draft?” Kiper asked. “Thought it would be Olu and now Joe Alt may be slightly ahead, but this is gonna go all the way down to the wire. This is one of those positional battles that’s gonna be fun to see how it all plays out and who of these two is the first offensive tackle, the first bookend off the board.”

Some may view Fashanu being an unfinished product as a downside, with the potential to not be a significant impact player in his rookie season. But not Kiper, who believes that his upside will be a dream for a lot of NFL team’s offensive staff members.

“I think he’s gonna keep getting better and that’s the thing, he’s not yet where he will be in another year or two moving forward in the National Football League. So I think offensive line coaches will look at him and say, ‘I want that kid because I can make him a Pro Bowl caliber player on a year to year basis’,” Kiper explained. “I think the teams like the Jets, think about Tennessee, the Giants, all the things okay do we take receiver, do we take the offensive lineman? Do we help the quarterback by getting another weapon or do we help the quarterback by getting better in pass pro?”

Kiper projects the New York Jets selecting Olu Fashanu with the No. 10 overall pick in this year’s draft in the first edition of his mock draft, and it will surely be interesting to see where the offensive tackle oozing with upside lands in April.