Penn State Nittany Lions offensive lineman Olumuyiwa Fashanu blocks during a college football game against the Michigan Wolverines on November 11, 2023 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania.
The New York Jets' objective this offseason has been quite clear: protect Aaron Rodgers.
That trend continued in the NFL draft on Thursday, with the Jets trading down to use the No. 11 pick to select Penn State offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu.
The 6-foot-6, 315-pound lineman was a two-year starter at Penn State, having not allowed a sack in over 650 pass blocking snaps in that time.
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The Jets dealt the No. 10 pick in the draft to the Minnesota Vikings just minutes before they were scheduled to make the selection. The Vikings used the pick to select Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
Even with top-ranked tight end Brock Bowers of Georgia still on the board, the Jets opted not to give Rodgers another weapon.
With the 40-year-old quarterback coming off an Achilles injury, the Jets have taken a "win now" approach this offseason. They filled voids at the tackle positions by signing Tyron Smith and trading for Morgan Moses, both of whom are 33 years old and on one-year deals, and signed guard John Simpson.
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The offense also added a veteran wide receiver with the signing of Mike Williams, who at 29 years old is recovering from a torn ACL suffered early last season.
By taking Fashanu rather than a pass-catcher, the Jets extended Rodgers' 16-year streak of his teams having never selected a pass-catcher in the first round while he was starting quarterback.
Of the more than 500 touchdowns Rodgers has thrown in his career, playoffs included, only one has been to a first-round pick. That touchdown was thrown to tight end Marcedes Lewis, a 2006 first-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars who Rodgers found in the end zone in 2022.
Quarterbacks were selected with four of first eight picks of the draft, with the Chicago Bears selecting USC's Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick. The Washington Commanders then took Jayden Daniels of LSU, and the New England Patriots selected Drake Maye of North Carolina. The Atlanta Falcons then made a stunning selection at No. 7 by drafting Washington QB Michael Penix Jr., just weeks after signing Kirk Cousins.
That led to the Vikings, Cousins' former team, moving up in the draft to take McCarthy. As part of the deal, the Jets also received the 129th and 157th overall pick, with the Vikings receiving the 203rd pick.
The Jets do not have a second-round pick in the 2024 draft. Their next selection will be in the third round with the No. 72 overall pick.
