At the beginning of his rookie season, the New York Jets believed that Olu Fashanu would be able to stay on the sideline for most of the year and learn from some of the best tackles in the sport. In Thursday's win over the Houston Texans, New York's plans for Fashanu were drastically altered. © Brad Penner-Imagn Images Due to injuries along the entire guard position, the Jets were forced to play the 11th overall pick at right guard for most of the second half.
While he was called for a holding penalty and gave up a sack, Fashanu held up for the most part. Making the appearance even more impressive, though, was the fact that up until that moment, Fashanu had never played guard in his life. "Remarkable is one of the only words I can give it, here's a guy that, you know, minus walkthrough reps, and minus drill work at practice, that's his only exposure to this position," Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich said.
"No live reps, no team reps, and to go in there and function like he did, it's unbelievable, just a testament to the young man he is." Fashanu has yet to see the field for the Jets at his intended left tackle position. Despite that reality, he has shown the kind of versatility and potential for the organization to be very happy with him.
Related: Aaron Rodgers 'Waiting To Exhale'? The Penn State product may have plenty of things to work on, but the Jets have to be thrilled with what they have seen from him at different positions this season..
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What Jets Are Saying About 'Remarkable' First-Round Rookie
Olu Fashanu played a key role in the team saving their season Thursday night against Houston.