2022 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Edge David Ojabo, Michigan

Michigan edge rusher David Ojabo at No. 7? If he's there, why not?

David Ojabo, EDGE

Height: 6’5
Weight: 250 lbs.
Class: RS-Sophomore
School: Michigan

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A former four-star recruit from Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey, Ojabo was the seventh-ranked recruit in the great state of New Jersey during the 2019 cycle. He received 35 college scholarships offers and only started playing football during his junior year in high school. Ojabo was an excellent high school basketball player before he transitioned to the gridiron.

Ojabo was born in Nigeria and then moved to Aberdeen, Scotland, in 2007. He moved to the United States to attend high school. Outside of basketball and football, Ojabo ran track at Blair Academy. In 2018, he won a prep state title in the 100-meter dash with a clock that read 10.93. He’s a unique athlete with limited experience playing football - the sky is the limit.

Notables

Ojabo earned first-team All-Big Ten in 2021 and second-team All-Big Ten in 2020. He was Academic All-Big Ten in 2020. He only played 26 defensive snaps in 2020 for the Wolverines, but his snaps increased to 534 through 14 games in 2021. Ojabo had 42 pressures, 11 sacks, 12 tackles for a loss, and 35 tackles in Mike Macdonald’s first year coaching the Michigan defense. Ojabo also forced a Michigan single-season record of five forced fumbles.

View all of Nick Falato's draft prospect profiles right here / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Strengths

• Good length to keep chest clean, close passing windows - great tackle radius
• Unique explosive athlete with unique movement skills for an EDGE
• Exceptional closing burst, short-area quickness, and agility
• Has very good flexibility in his lower half, can corner at top of arc through contact
• Has sideline to sideline range, excellent in pursuit
• Great body control and balance while rushing the passer
• Excellent first step (when snap is timed correctly)
• Gets up the arc in a hurry, really stresses OTs pass-sets
• Keeps OL guessing off snap with stutter move and unique COD
• Goes from 0-60 mph off stutter to pass-rushing move
• Solid quickness in his hands to quickly shed contact
• Employs a variety of fluid pass-rushing moves
• Was genuinely impressed with his understanding of rushing the passer
• Can win with speed up the arc
• Chop/rip combination at the top
• Quickly establishes half-man relationship
• Bend/rip combination stressed many OT in the Big-10
• Has bend/speed to use GHOST technique
• Smooth inside spin move, uses outside forearm to stun OT in place
• Showed impressive processing/adjustment ability mid-play
• Showed ability to convert speed to power
• Solid overall effort/competitive toughness
• Can set an edge, albeit it’s not always perfect
• Uses length solidly and plays with solid pad level post-snap vs run
• Penetrates gaps quickly and in a disruptive manner as run defender
• Good luck reading him as an unblocked defender
• Showed coverage awareness vs Northwestern
• Worked underneath slant route and almost had INT
• Uses length well to alter throwing lanes when he doesn’t win as pass-rusher

Weaknesses

• High stance before the snap, if the timing of snap is off, his rhythm is shot
• Is still raw with some nuances, but is advanced for someone with only five years of experience
• More finesse than power, bull-rush may not work in NFL
• Can be a better run defender
• Was washed by double teams (didn’t face them too often on the EDGE)
• Solid overall power in hands, does catch blocks at times when processing vs run
• Could process more “advanced” run concepts a bit quicker (nit-picky)
• Uses solidly well to anchor down vs OTs, but timing/placement isn’t always ideal

Summary

Overall, David Ojabo is a sudden athlete who is very explosive and plays with exceptional balance and control. His inexperience can be viewed as a “weakness,” but coaching staffs are going to love the potential of Ojabo, and it’s not like he wasn’t productive in 2021 - he had 11 sacks. 

There is plenty to love about Ojabo’s current abilities and what he could develop into. Players with his size and length typically can’t move like Ojabo, and he has impressive hand usage while rushing the passer for a player who has five years of experience. The ability to bend through contact at the top of pass-rushing arcs is desirable for all 32 NFL teams. Yes, he’s not fully polished as a player, and he could still be a better overall run defender, but Ojabo has the chance to be a very special player.

Ideally, he will play OLB and be a pass-rushing linebacker who can wreak havoc on opposing offenses. Ojabo can develop into a more role in due time. He’s very interesting, and the Giants should look into this unique talent.

GRADE: 7.0

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