NFL Draft Watch: Iowa’s Drew Ott Breaking Through as Rusher
Sep 6, 2014; Iowa City, IA, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes defensive lineman Drew Ott (95) rushes against Ball State Cardinals offensive linesman Steven Bell (66) at Kinnick Stadium. Iowa defeated Ball State 17-13. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
The Iowa Hawkeyes are no strangers to developing unheralded high school talent into NFL prospects, and that trend appears to be continuing with defensive end Drew Ott, a junior out of the state of Nebraska who is starting to establish himself as a force on the defensive line.
Ott has been consistent for the Hawkeyes this season, and consistently in the backfield. He has 31 tackles, 7.5 for loss, and 4.5 sacks not including the performance we’re seeing from him against the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday afternoon in which I’ve already seen him pick off a pass, record a sack, and make a number of plays in the backfield. We’ll wait for the official stats, but it’s clear that Ott deserves to be on the NFL radar at this point.
At 6’4″ 270 pounds, the Academic All-Big Ten performer off the field has been a fast learner on it, becoming a full-time starter as a sophomore and recording 50 tackles. Ott is a typical Iowa overachiever athlete type, but just because Iowa doesn’t crank out SEC athletes doesn’t mean they don’t have guys with great technique, strength, and football IQ. The strength of Iowa’s player development has always been in maximizing results out of guys who might have been bypassed by other major schools because of certain athletic limitations, and Ott is another in a long list of examples of that.
Even as the number two ranked prospect in the state of Nebraska, Ott wasn’t even offered a scholarship by the Huskers and Iowa is currently reaping the benefits. He’s added 35 pounds to his 6’4″ frame since becoming part of the Hawkeyes, and his length/strength have been an ideal combination at the RDE (weakside defensive end) position.
This guy has been fun to watch this season, making plays for the Iowa defense and really establishing himself as a legitimate NFL prospect with another year of eligibility left.