TCU Football: Former Offensive Lineman Has a Day at the NFL Combine

Obinna Eze has a day at the combine and should get picked up in the NFL draft

© Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Obinna Eze had himself a day. His prospect grade went up, but Obinna knows he has a lot of room to improve, and he is willing to work at his craft as he continues to climb the charts. TCU still has their Pro-Day coming up too. So, Eze can still impress scouts just like he did at the Combine. The 6'8, 321-pound offensive tackle had some impressive intangibles for his size. His length is what most scouts loved, with almost 37 inch long arms and hands nearly 10 inches wide. An offensive lineman needs to have length when climbing up to the second level to take on DBs and linebackers. 

Obinna's Combine Results:

40 Yard Dash -5.17 sec

Bench Press - 18 reps at 225 lbs.

Vertical Jump - 27.5'

Broad Jump - 10'4

3 Cone Drill - 8.2 sec

20 Yd Shuttle - 5.08 sec

Combine workout for @MAJORBUSQUET 🇳🇬 #NFLCombine #NFLAfrica #NextIsHere #Naija pic.twitter.com/8FiD8aktZB

— NFL Africa (@NFLAfrica) March 5, 2022

Developmental project with extremely rare length who will need a technique overhaul to be ready to fend off NFL pass rushers. Eze is a former basketball player with a leaner lower body and a wingspan to find opponents before they find him. He's likely to have pad-level issues, so building up his base and learning to play with better hands is necessary. He's a candidate for a draft-and-stash practice squad run to work on areas of improvement. Eze has a swing tackle upside but a lower floor.

Obinna's strengths from scouts report were:

• Three-year starter (two at Memphis, one at TCU)
• Extremely long arms
• Tags linebackers on the second level with his length
• Better than expected in climbing and sustaining
• Displays some drive-blocking potential
• Enough foot quickness to block play-side stretch plays
• Keeps head back in his pass sets
• Usually first in with punch timing.

Obinna is a hard worker. He is always willing to put the work in to get to the next level. His struggles are something he can improve on easily as he continues to learn the game:

• His technique needs work
• Pass slides are disconnected
• Redirection strength at his edge needs some work
• Below-average coordination to mirror counters
• Lacks the talent to withstand extended plays by QBs
• Plays sky-high in his stance
• Hand placement and usage need work
• Might require additional lower body mass. 

Many of the weaknesses listed there are what come over time as knowledge of football players steadily grows. Obinna Eze has the potential to be a beast of an offensive tackle in the league, and he is going to put the work in to get there!

 Want to join the discussion? Click here to become a member of the Killer Frogs message board community today!

Follow KillerFrogs on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest TCU news! Follow KillerFrogs on Facebook and Instagram as well. Download the KillerFrogs app on Google Play or in the Apple App Store.