Bloodlines continue to be a trendy story of the 2021 NFL Draft. Yet another example of a player with ties to the NFL from a family member is Osa Odighizuwa. Osa’s brother, Owa Odighizuwa, was drafted in the third round of the 2015 draft by the New York Giants. His career hasn’t worked out the greatest, but his younger brother is trying to shape his career. The younger of the brothers is an undersized prospect that is a bit raw and comes with an intriguing skill set and a body-type that can be used in many ways.
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Player Bio
Name: Osa Odighizuwa
Jersey: #92
Position: Interior Defensive Line
School: UCLA
Class: Senior
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 280 lbs
Explosiveness (8.25/10)
Odighizuwa has a very quick first step from his stance. It immediately puts pressure on the offensive lineman and puts them in a difficult position. His get-off was seen late in games in important situations. On these plays, Odighizuwa affected the offensive plans drastically. Odighizuwa’s explosiveness is one of his best traits.
Pass Rush Ability (7.5/10)
Don’t let the stats tell the whole story. Yes, Odighizuwa only had 11.5 sacks during his time at UCLA. Stats don’t tell everything about his game. Odighizuwa has a nasty bull-rush and drives the linemen back into the quarterback’s face. Along with his bull-rush, he was used on twists and stunts as well. Whenever he was used on these twists or stunts, Odighizuwa had an easier shot to the quarterback and could work his way through guards or centers with ease.
Block Shedding (6.75/10)
There are a few times here and there when Odighizuwa can go on the inside of the lineman when they are engaged to get through the block. Other times, he struggles greatly to get disengaged from the block. He ends up on the ground a lot of the time as well due to his minimal balance.
Strength (6.5/10)
Odighizuwa can get controlled by one blocker and can’t disengage from the blocker. He struggles disengaging in the run game and can’t grab the ball-carrier as a result. He will struggle on the inside of the defensive line if that is where he plays due to this. Odighizuwa’s strength is perhaps his biggest concern.
Flexibility (8.5/10)
Whether it be against tackles or interior linemen, Odighizuwa has enough flexion to work his way around tackles and underneath blocks from centers and guards. He plays with great leverage and is more of a technician than a mauler.
Football IQ (7/10)
Odighizuwa is still learning the game. When his brother went to UCLA, Osa had primarily been a wrestler, which he won three state championships in. He played fullback and defensive line in high school. He had some issues understanding what the gaps and alignments were. This year, he seemed to have a refined baseline here and could sniff out where some runs were going, thanks to reading where the linemen were at to set up their blocks. He needs to decipher some plays quicker, and if he does, Odighizuwa could very well be one of the steals in the draft. Watching more film could afford him to find ways to disengage blocks and get more refined in this regard.
Lateral Movement (7/10)
Odighizuwa is about average here. He can chase a ball-carrier down, but first off, he has to disengage from blocks, which is a bit of an issue, as mentioned. Odighizuwa has some athleticism and will give and chase to make a tackle if it is necessary.
Tackling (8/10)
Odighizuwa is a solid tackler. He does everything fundamentally well but will have a missed tackle or two a game. He is solid here, and there isn’t much to worry about.
Versatility (6.5/10)
Odigizuwa could fall in the draft due to being a scheme-dependent player. He will likely only fit in a 4-3 scheme, whether that be as a defensive end or defensive tackle in that scheme. UCLA used him in both roles, and he succeeded more when he played as an end.
Effort (4.5/5)
Odighizuwa is always fighting to run down the tackler, even if it is on the backside of the play he is on. He can get beaten up on a bit because of his frame by an interior lineman, and he will just let it slide.
Injury (5/5)
Odighizuwa’s injury sheet appears to be clean.
Player Summary
Odighizuwa is a fun study. There is plenty to like, but there is also a lot of room to grow. His flexibility and pass-rush moves he already has make him a dynamic edge defender. He could afford to add some more strength, but that might be because of how UCLA used him more as an interior defender instead of an edge defender. Odighizuwa will be a great fit in a 4-3 scheme for a team like Kansas City or Atlanta that could move him around in a variety of different spots to get him in on passing downs against good matchups.
Final Grade (75.5/100): Mid Fourth Round
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