Finding Colts: Scouting Penn State EDGE Jayson Oweh

Finding Colts scouts the 2021 NFL draft class to find the best fits. What's the scoop on Jayson Oweh and how would he fit in Indy?

Welcome to Finding Colts, our annual prospect-by-prospect series deep-diving on the coming NFL draft class. The scouting continues with Penn State edge rusher Jayson Oweh, a gifted prospect who fits a big Indianapolis Colts' roster need.

Measurables

• Height: 6-foot-5
• Weight: 255 pounds

Stats

Sports-Reference.com

Pros

• Despite the lack of sacks, notched 20 pressures on 171 pass-rush snaps or a pressure every 8.55 pass-rush snaps
• An explosive athlete with plenty of twitch when attacking offensive linemen
• Gets upfield quickly and can really strain the outside shoulder of tackles with his burst and flexibility to get under their shoulders
• He has one really good pass rush move down and it is very effective
• There is good power in his pass rush and run defense especially with his hands to jolt and control offensive linemen
• Has excellent length
• Energetic and will give it 110% every play of the game
• His ability to work laterally is outstanding and he can be such a problem when working on stunts and twists
• Very loose and fluid with his movements which leads to some promise with dropbacks into certain zone coverages
• His versatility is elite with scheme-, role-, and position-diversity

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Cons

• His sack production does not match his traits as a pass rusher
• Lacks experience after being stuck behind talented edge rushers at Penn State
• Has to develop more pass rush moves but also counters to fall back on when his chop/rip move fails
• While he has good length, he could do better in using it especially with keeping blockers off his chest
• Helping him convert his initial burst to explosive power could really make him dangerous
• Would like to see him be more consistent with his technique as a run defender
• His football IQ is a work in progress and learning how to read blocking concepts as they develop will be beneficial

Overview

Oweh has all the traits to be an outstanding edge rusher in the NFL as well as a great run defender. The problem is, he lacks experience and still needs development in key areas.

While Oweh didn’t have the sack production in 2020, he still brought it as a pass rusher, averaging a pressure every 8.5 pass-rush snaps. He is an excellent athlete and that really translates well to being a versatile edge defender in the NFL, as he projects to be. Of course, he has to put in the work and take to coaching to really become a weapon for a defense and that may take a year or two.

Fit with Colts

When it comes to the type of athletic thresholds the Colts tend to look for in their pass rushers, Oweh checks all of the boxes. Additionally, he's a scheme fit and style fit for what Indy wants. 

There may be some hesitancy because Oweh isn’t a big first-year impact prospect as he needs to fully develop the tools and traits he's weaponized and the Colts may be looking for an edge rusher with a more immediate year-one impact.

Grade: Round 2

Where he Goes: Round 1

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