2021 NFL Draft: Scouting Notre Dame LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah

As NFL defenses are getting leaner, faster, and more aggressive, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will be a coveted piece in the 2021 NFL Draft.

NFL offenses only continue to add speed and versatility, creating “weapons of mass production.” As a consequence, coaching staffs and front offices around the league have become fixated on matching that explosiveness with their own assets on the defensive side of the ball.

2020 NFL draft prospect & Arizona Cardinals selection Isaiah Simmons served as a glimpse into the future of defensive personnel, operating effectively in and out of the box at a sturdy 6-foot 4, 238 pounds with 4.4 speed. This ability to flex between the roles of box-safety, nickel corner, and 3-4 outside linebacker requires a special kind of athlete with all of the right traits.

2021 NFL Draft prospect Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is a 6-foot 1, 216-pound athlete with 4.4 speed who has become a tackling machine within the Notre Dame defensive front, taking snaps from a variety of positions. According to Pro Football Focus’s snap tracker, Owusu-Koramoah has taken 107 snaps from the defensive line, 218 from the box, and 352 from the slot.

The most impressive mark on Owusu-Koramoah’s resume is his elite speed for the linebacker position, pairing it with a hyper-aggressive mentality to create tackles for loss on the backside of run plays game after game, even avoiding backside blockers with running back like elusiveness.

This speed translates directly into his burst off of the line of scrimmage and ability to beat offensive tackles off of the snap. Owusu-Koramoah’s technical ability as a pass-rusher still has room for improvement, but when he can match his hands with his blazing quick feet this speed presents a plethora of issues for offensive tackles.

Taking on a tackle one-on-one is out of the question for now, but an NFL coaching staff would love to utilize him on stunts and twists.

Although this athleticism has translated into success, Owusu-Koramoah still doesn’t have the physical prominence to fulfill the role of an edge-setting 3-4 outside linebacker. He can commonly be overpowered at the point of attack and is better suited on the weak-side of the formation, given the freedom to chase the play and use his superior instincts.

When dropping into coverage, Owusu-Koramoah carries the same aggressive mentality with varying results. Although this enables him to break on check-down passes from his underneath zone, he can tend to overpursue receivers and leave voids in zone coverage to be exploited by crafty quarterbacks.

To become an every-down linebacker in the NFL, Owusu-Koramoah needs to shore up this portion of his game.

This being said, highly-aggressive players in coverage tend to perform better (especially when they are young and inexperienced) in a man-coverage scheme. The New England Patriots have had plenty of defensive success with young personnel and not had the same issues of many inexperienced defenses thanks to aggressive man defense.

The final major piece of Owusu’s game is his versatility, both on the defense and within phases of the game. With such athletic prowess, Owusu-Koramoah will have the opportunity to hold a roster spot in the NFL purely through special teams’ performance. Hopefully, this athleticism will be used in a more meaningful way to cover the numerous mismatch-monsters at tight end.

Player Comparison: Jamal Adams, S, SEA

This is an aggressive player comparison. Jamal Adams is arguably the best safety, and possibly best defensive player in the NFL, and no 2021 NFL Draft prospect has earned the right to be compared to such a talent. Regardless of this, the snap distribution, physical, profile, and style of play of Owusu-Koramoah all have a striking resemblance to the perennial All-Pro.

Both players stand at 6-foot 1, and place within the same weight class. According to Pro Football Focus, Adams has had 489 snaps in the box, 281 at safety, 172 at slot corner, and 137 on the defensive line.

This snap distribution is what Owusu-Koramoah should strive for and continue to work towards, becoming an all-around threat that offenses need to gameplan for.