Osa Odighizuwa Would Be an Interesting Pick for the Kansas City Chiefs

UCLA's Osa Odighizuwa is one of the premier athletes among this year's interior defensive line class. Should the Kansas City Chiefs bite on his potential?

Osa Odighizuwa - IDL, UCLA

By the numbers:

6'2", 280 pounds.

2020: 30 tackles (six for loss), four sacks, in seven games played.

First-team All-Pac-12 selection.

Positives:

Osa Odighizuwa's calling card is easily his crazy athleticism for an interior defensive lineman. He explodes as soon as the ball is snapped, has a great speed-to-power transition and impressive raw power for a man of his stature. Due to being just 6-foot-2, he naturally maintains good leverage and sinks his hips before driving upward and through opposing guards and tackles. His long arms make up for a lack of ideal height for the position.

Odighizuwa is a sound run defender. He blows plays up in the backfield and has a solid understanding of gap control. His inside-out experience is apparent, as he's capable of winning in a variety of ways at the point of attack. UCLA used him in a variety of roles (1-tech, 3-tech, 5-tech, 7-tech, etc.) and alignments because he was agile enough to win from anywhere.

Negatives:

While Odighizuwa lined up everywhere in college, he will more than likely be bound to a 4-3 defensive tackle or 3-4 defensive end role at the next level. His lack of mass shows up against stronger linemen and despite playing stronger than his 280-pound frame suggests, he simply doesn't have the size to make up for it completely. He has a "tweener" profile but isn't flexible enough to serve as a full-time defensive end in 4-3 schemes moving forward.

Polishing his game and becoming even more technically proficient will help Odighizuwa stay on the field. If he can place his club or swim moves with more precision and further develop his technique, he may not have to rely on his athleticism as much. Adding strength could completely alter his career arc, depending on how much speed or agility it robs him of (if at all).

How Odighizuwa fits with the Chiefs:

The Chiefs' current stable of defensive linemen — at least on the inside — is quite crowded. Chris Jones and Derrick Nnadi are the starters, while players like Tershawn Wharton and Khalen Saunders occupy the next two spots on the depth chart. Wharton's emergence as an undersized pass-rushing threat on later downs would be a perfect example to follow for Odighizuwa. With that said, he'd be nothing more than a subpackage player with the Chiefs until an increased opportunity presented itself. 

Final Thoughts:

Odighizuwa's tantalizing athletic profile is impossible to ignore. He can make an instant impact in the NFL on obvious passing downs because of it. On the other hand, he's more of a luxury depth piece than an impact starter in Kansas City. His value to other teams may manifest in the form of a late Day 2 draft pick, but he grades out as a fourth-round selection with immense upside and a bit of versatility if Steve Spagnuolo wanted to get creative.

Read More: Arrowhead Report's 100 Players in 100 Days: A Kansas City Chiefs Draft Guide.