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David Ojabo NFL Draft Profile
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David Ojabo Scouting ReportOjabo’s high-level physical tools stand out on tape. He might end up being a freakier athlete than Aidan Hutchinson, who was on Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List” this past offseason. At 6’5″, 250 pounds, Ojabo has impressive length and a fairly dense frame. That length provides a dangerous conduit for power. Additionally, he uses that length proactively to produce turnovers and disrupt passers in structure. Ojabo’s frame is made even more dangerous by the exceptional athleticism contained within it. He has top-tier explosiveness off the snap, and he also has great torso flexibility. He can accelerate quickly while reducing his surface area and pinching the corner. Furthermore, he has a devastating ghost move, with which he uses his burst and contortion to shade by tackles with minimal contact. Ojabo is an incredibly twitchy and energetic rusher, in addition to his contortion ability. He possesses elite lateral agility, which helps him keep an effective spin move in his arsenal. He can hit a rare second gear with his speed around the edge, and his speed and length combine for dangerous range. Ojabo has shown he knows how to combine elements of speed, power, and bend in rapid succession. He can keep his balance while flexing and contorting, and he’s flashed legitimate multitasking ability in a small sample size. Ojabo displays a hot motor, though not quite as consistently hot as Hutchinson’s. Once in pursuit, his length and explosiveness make him hard to evade. He also has scary range in run support. In pursuit, he can swoop down on ball carriers with his burst and wingspan, and he’s shown he can take effective angles in space as well. Ojabo can absorb opposing power and stand his ground — something his length and flexibility allow him to do. He can also latch onto opposing linemen and rip down their anchors with force. Those glimpses of extra physicality prove that the Michigan DE has three-down potential. Ojabo’s pass rushing, the Wolverine DE also shows glimpses of targeted hand usage. He’s shown he can time hand swipes effectively and capitalize on the displacement gained by his natural traits. Ojabo’s growth is also exciting. He improved each week in 2021, seemingly adding more rushing moves to his arsenal with each passing game. That coveted linear progression will entice teams to invest in his development. |
Areas for ImprovementOjabo’s hands are still a work in progress. The Michigan DE doesn’t always have a pass-rushing plan, and that lack of a plan can sap away at his momentum and exerted power. Moreover, his hands can stall quickly at times when he doesn’t win off his natural traits. He needs to be more consistent capitalizing on displacement, or his rushes fade out at the apex. Ojabo doesn’t always strike cleanly. He can tuck his elbows more to maximize force. He can also improve his stance at times to incorporate more lean and potential energy, further maximizing his burst off the line. Additionally, Ojabo isn’t yet proficient at stacking counters. His play strength also isn’t elite. Thus, he can be suffocated by stronger tackles. Ojabo can be inconsistent in run defense as well, and he doesn’t play full-time in that phase. Furthermore, he’s not great at reading and reacting to option plays when unblocked. He can also improve his efficiency of motion in space at times.
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David Ojabo Career at SchoolWhen Ojabo arrived at Ann Arbor, he quickly fell underneath a deep EDGE rotation. But the Michigan product didn’t let that discourage him. He worked hard behind the scenes and gained valuable experience on the scout team. At the end of the 2019 season, he was named Michigan’s Scout Team Player of the Year. That work led to game action the following season. In 2020, Ojabo played in all six games, mainly as a special teamer. Although he only logged 1 tackle, he still gained valuable on-field experience in multiple phases. Along the way, he was able to earn Academic All-Big Ten honors. This year, however, Ojabo has made it clear that the NFL is in his future. On a team that starts Hutchinson, Ojabo has broken out on his own accord. That’s not easy to do. He logged 11 sacks and 12 tackles for loss in 14 games, and declared for the 2022 NFL Draft after Michigan’s playoff loss to Georgia.
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David Ojabo NFL Draft Player ProfileOjabo has always had the talent. In high school, he was compared to Carlos Dunlap by Rivals. Ojabo himself tries to model his game after Arizona Cardinals pass rusher Chandler Jones. His talent has always been apparent, and in 2021, he applied it better than ever. Physically, Ojabo checks every box you look for. In elite quantities, he’s proven to have explosiveness, lateral agility, flexibility, and length. He also has great power capacity, and he’s also shown he can multitask — using multiple traits at once to generate disruption. There’s still much Ojabo can improve upon. As mentioned above, he can be inconsistent in both phases. Especially as a pass rusher, his hand usage has room for further refinement. But already, the Michigan DE has shown he can capitalize on his searing explosiveness with violent, calculated rushing moves. His elite physical profile and astronomical upside, combined with his constant growth in 2021, makes him worthy of early first-round consideration. He’s a top ten prospect on my board.
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