NFL Depth Chart Breakdown For Julian Okwara

Breaking down the competition for former Notre Dame star Julian Okwara to get on the field as a rookie

The Detroit Lions selected Notre Dame defensive end Julian Okwara with the 67 overall pick in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Okwara will join a dynamic group of outside linebackers and defensive ends in the Motor City. His elite speed and athleticism for his position adds to the dynamic nature of those position groups.

Lions head coach Matt Patricia – a Bill Belichick disciple – is a defensive guru who picks, and subsequently utilizes his players the same way his former boss did. He finds something that a guy does very well, and then asks him to do that one thing when on the field.

Julian Okwara chases down quarterbacks very well.

Because he’s built like a like big receiver, we’re not likely to see Okwara as an every-down player. Patricia is going to put the rookie in situations where his speed and pass-rushing ability can best be showcased. In college, that usually meant Okwara was coming off the edge.

That may not be the case in Detroit.

Look for Patricia to move Okwara to different positions on the field depending on the scenario. If he’s on the field, he’s likely blitzing, and chances are that the play design has Okwara running with a free lane to the quarterback.

The competition on the depth chart is going to work in Okwara’s favor from a mentoring standpoint. For starters, his older brother Romeo Okwara is still in Detroit. The other starting defensive end is Trey Flowers – one of the best in the game. Sitting behind those two and watching their technique and work-ethic will be invaluable to Okwara.

Linebacker Jamie Collins is also in the mix in terms of a guy who gets moved all over the field situationally. Ideally, Okwara will be a hybrid of a traditional defensive end and something to the effect of the style and position that Collins plays in blitz packages.

So Long as Okwara is recovered from the leg injury he suffered last season, we should see him on the field as a regular part of Detroit’s front seven rotation in 2020. If Patricia uses him the way we think he will, there’s no reason Okwara can’t log a half dozen sacks as a rookie.