UCLA DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa NFL Draft Scouting Notebook
UCLA defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa not only has probably the coolest name in the NFL Draft, but he is also a heck of a player. In this year’s class, there are a lot of “EDGE” players that are getting a ton of first round hype, but I think Odighizuwa is one that isn’t getting quite enough.
His stats from this past year don’t exactly blow anyone away. 59 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, and four passes broken up don’t exactly leap off the page for a prospective NFL defensive end, but Odighizuwa — who will, for the rest of this post, be known as “The Alphabet” — undoubtedly should get the benefit of the doubt due to the type of defense he played in and the attention he received from opposing offensive lines.
The Alphabet has a very vast array of skills and I wanted to look at the tape and find out what exactly it was that has him right now in first round talks from some NFL Draft analysts. I was really excited about what I saw, and I’m eager for you to take a look as well.
The first thing that really jumps out at me about his game is his first step. He is so quick off the snap that offensive linemen get caught on their heels most of the time. At that point, he has a very good inside power move that drives linemen back and disrupts the play. He might not get credited with a lot of sacks or tackles for loss, but this dude alters so many plays behind the line of scrimmage.
The next thing that really jumps out to me is the way he uses his hands. The Alphabet has phenomenal hand placement and he uses them really well when he gets locked in with an offensive lineman.
You see him playing in a primarily three-man front at UCLA, and at 6-3, 270, I think he’s a mismatch for guards and tackles at that size being covered up on the outside by an edge defender. I don’t necessarily think he is going to be limited to any specific role in the NFL — this is the type of guy that can play a variety of positions and play them well.
The questions surrounding Alphabet at this point are whether or not he can play sideline to sideline if need be, if he can drop into coverage as a potential 3-4 outside linebacker, and how good he can be getting around the edge. I think his best role in the NFL is as a powerful mismatch on the interior and occasionally playing on the edge like Malik Jackson in Denver. I think he will be under-drafted because of his ‘tweener’ status, but we’ve seen NFL teams fall in love with similarly designed players like Datone Jones, also of UCLA.
Used correctly in terms of being moved where he can be a mismatch, I think this can be one of the most productive and disruptive defensive linemen taken in this draft who can occasionally cameo as a linebacker in a 3-4 look. He is built for power and quickness with violence and a nasty streak. I love the way he plays and can see his aggressiveness translating to early rookie success.