2021 NFL Draft OLB rankings: Zaven Collins tops Micah Parsons for top spot

3. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame
6-foot-1, 215 pounds
2021 NFL Draft grade: First round

Coming out of high school, Notre Dame’s Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was considered one of the top safeties in the country. When he got to Notre Dame the Irish moved Owusu-Koramoah to a rover position that asked him to carry out both linebacker and safety duties. He filled this role remarkably well as he won the Butkus Award in 2020 and tied for the team lead in tackles in 2019 with 80 tackles.

The fact that Owusu-Koramoah has so much experience playing safety is a big benefit when it comes to the coverage skills he offers as an outside linebacker. He is routinely asked to cover slot receivers for the Irish and has no trouble doing this. While he is best in coverage he has proven to be a good pass rusher as well recording 8.5 sacks in 2019. As a run defender, he shows the ability to chase down ball carriers with his impressive speed.

While Owusu-Koramoah shows the ability to be a sideline-to-sideline run defender the area he does have issues with is when teams run at him. This is primarily due to his lack of size coming in at only 215 pounds. This lack of size causes him to have trouble fighting off blockers and to be pushed around at times. Another concern is that he is still learning the finer points of diagnosing run plays which can cause him to be tentative at times.

While Owusu-Koramoah offers intriguing physical skills he is going to have to go to the right situation in order to be successful. The perfect situation for him will be to go to a team that will line him up as a WILL linebacker or as Rover, where his cover skills can be best used. If a team tries to make him a SAM linebacker he will struggle as he does not have the size or strength to hold up in this role.