Ex-NFL GM Predicts Jets Will Add Youngster With ‘All-Pro Potential’
Mike Tannenbaum served as the New York Jets general manager for seven seasons from 2006 through 2012.
On Tuesday, March 26 he got to sit back down in that chair for a mock draft exercise where he predicted the entire first round for ESPN. He explained in the introduction that he wasn’t trying to guess what the Jets or any NFL team would do, but rather what he would do if he was sitting in that chair.
With the No. 10 overall pick in the first round, Tannenbaum mocked Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu to the green and white.
“The Jets signed left tackle Tyron Smith to a one-year deal, but given Smith’s age/durability concerns, Fashanu would be a very necessary insurance policy and future building block. At 6-6 and 312 pounds, Fashanu has excellent feet and movement skills for his frame. He played 1,306 snaps during his Penn State career and gave up only one sack,” Tannenbaum explained. “He has perennial All-Pro potential if his technique continues to develop, giving the Jets a shutdown left tackle for years to come. (New York also traded for Morgan Moses, but he’s a fit on the right side and is a 2025 free agent.)”
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If this pick came to fruition, it would be the second straight offseason that the team took a player in the first round who isn’t expected to play much.
Last April the green and white selected pass rusher Will McDonald out of Iowa State. He ended up playing the fewest amount of snaps for a first-rounder since Vernon Gholston in 2006.
New York already has its five starters on the offensive line solidified ahead of the draft. Tyron Smith at left tackle, John Simpson at left guard, Joe Tippmann at center, Alijah Vera-Tucker at right guard, and Morgan Moses at right tackle.
Fashanu or any offensive lineman that would be taken in the first round would be headed for the bench.
Now you could make a strong argument that even though that player would start their careers on the bench, there’s a good chance they could find their way into the lineup. Last season the green and white used 13 different starting offensive line combinations.
If history were to repeat itself, Fashanu would see plenty of time in his rookie season.
