Vikings Draft Minnesota Defensive Lineman Esezi Otomewo in Fifth Round

Otomewo is the first Gopher the Vikings have drafted in 12 years. He's big and physical.

The Vikings have selected Minnesota edge rusher Esezi Otomewo in the fifth round (No. 165 overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Otomewo is a big, physical defensive lineman who was primarily an edge rusher at Minnesota but projects as a hybrid five-tech who can kick inside at the next level. He's 6'5", 280 pounds with 35-inch arms and a 35-inch vertical leap. Otomewo has solid get-off at the line of scrimmage and is a fairly agile athlete.

This is a nice late-round pickup for Ed Donatell's 3-4 defense. Otomewo had just 7.5 sacks across four years at Minnesota, but he adds some versatility and has room for improvement with some development of his technique. He was named honorable mention All-Big Ten last season after starting 13 games and recording 30 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, and 3 sacks.

From The Athletic's Dane Brugler:

When he uses proper leverage and timing, Otomewo can stack and shed blocks to make tackles in his gap. However, offenses are not afraid to run at him because his hands, leverage points and recognition skills are wild, giving the advantage to blockers. Overall, Otomewo has disjointed rush moves and must maximize his power with more consistent biomechanics, but he is a toolsy five-technique prospect who has yet to reach his football ceiling. 

I covered Esezi Otomewo during his entire #Gophers career. He has the length/wingspan to defeat blocks, sets hard edges and has good lower-body power/explosiveness.

Within the #Vikings scheme, he will fit well as a 5-tech who can kick inside occasionally.

— Daniel House (@DanielHouseMN) April 30, 2022

Otomewo's relative athletic score at EDGE is 6.63, but if you list him as a defensive tackle, it goes up to 9.31.

This is the first time the Vikings have drafted a Gophers player since LB Nate Triplett in 2010.

Vikings draft picks so far:

• First round, No. 32: Lewis Cine, S, Georgia
• Second round, No. 42 (from Colts): Andrew Booth Jr., CB, Clemson
• Second round, No. 59 (from Packers): Ed Ingram, G, LSU
• Third round, No. 66 (from Lions): Brian Asamoah II, Oklahoma
• Fourth round, No. 118 (from Browns): Akayleb Evans, CB, Missouri
• Fifth round, No. 165 (from Raiders): Esezi Otomewo, DL, Minnesota
• Fifth round, No. 169 (from Raiders): Ty Chandler, RB, North Carolina

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