Ex-Colorado football QB-turned-analyst Joel Klatt sends strong message on Penn State star OL

Ex-Colorado football QB-turned-analyst Joel Klatt couldn't be higher on Penn State LT Olu Fashanu

Former Colorado football QB-turned-FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt raved about every trait possessed by star Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu -- from his character off the field to his ability to protect the blindside at the next level.

“I got to cover him a bunch,” Klatt said during his Mock Draft 1.0 show (h/t On3). “A Wonderful human being. Maybe a better human than player or vice versa, he’s still great in both categories. And this is a guy who I still think is just scratching the surface. I think Olu has the highest upside of any offensive lineman in the Draft. Just because he’s so raw, what we saw this last year was him just scratching the surface.

“I think it was a great move for him — he would have been maybe the top offensive tackle taken off the board last year. Decided to come back for his education, got his degree, and now he’s going to be the top one or two tackle taken this year. But it was never about that for him. He wanted to get his degree and continue to develop into more of an NFL offensive lineman. He did that.”

Fashanu was mocked by Klatt to land with the New York Jets come late April in the FOX host's draft projection, but at an in-demand position, Fashanu could convince GMs to "reach" for him; if reaching for Fashanu is even an appropriate term to label selecting him. NY has the No. 10 overall pick, so nine teams could decide the fit of the Waldorf, Maryland native outweighs a splashier name.

Fashanu's draft position could be a direct result of whether teams want to reach for a QB beyond the top three arms (Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels) expected to go off the board right away. Read: JJ McCarthy and Bo Nix.