Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1418303
50 OCT. 23, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED IRISH IN THE PROS BY TODD D. BURLAGE A n interesting story on the Cleveland Browns' website BrownsNation.com suggested that if the NFL franchise had to name an MVP through four weeks, it should go to whoever started the pre- draft rumor last spring that former Irish linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was suffering from some sort of heart abnormality. The premise was that those heart health questions — which "Wu" vehe- mently denied — caused him to drop out of his top-10 first-round draft projec- tion and into the Browns' lap with the No. 52 overall pick in the second round. Ironically, it was Owusu-Koramoah's heart and smarts that made him rated by Pro Football Focus as the top-per- forming linebacker in the NFL through games played Oct. 3. Interestingly, the imposing 2020 Irish All-American is already making this kind of impact while playing on only about 50 percent of his team's defensive snaps. Through four games, Owusu-Kora- moah had 17 tackles, half a sack, high- light-reel hits and the respect of his teammates, all while making an early case as the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. "He knows he can be a force rushing the passer," Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett said of his talented team- mate. "He made plays in the pass game, dropping out in coverage and pushing pressure on the quarterback." And the Browns coaches believe Owusu-Koramoah's best is yet to come. "There are multiple packages we can create for him, but there's only so much he can handle because when you get on the field, you have to have a certain number of reps," Browns defensive co- ordinator Joe Woods explained. "If you are giving him a lot of stuff to do, how many times can you rep it for him to be comfortable doing it?" Against the Bears Sept. 26, Owusu- Koramoah made the start at strong- side linebacker and posted four tackles, a half-sack and two passes defended, which demonstrated his versatility and athleticism. Wu's performance against Chicago earned him a nomination for NFL De- fensive Rookie of the Week. Unsatisfied, Owusu-Koramoah one- upped himself a week later against the Minnesota Vikings with a career-best seven total tackles. Browns linebackers coach Jason Tarver said that Owusu-Koramoah's back-to-back standout performances against the Bears and Vikings in part came from him playing with improved patience and recognition instead of re- lying on force and athleticism. "His patience in the beginning of the play, and then how he was able to fit and move, he got more in the groove than he has before," noted Tarver, who ad- ditionally celebrated his rookie's versa- tility, closing speed and explosiveness. "That was really cool to see." Beyo n d h i s f i c t i o n a l h ea r t a i l - ment, Owusu-Koramoah's 6-foot-2, 221-pound stature also became a pre- draft concern for NFL general manag- ers, but never for the player. In May, only about three weeks after being drafted by the Browns, Owusu- Koramoah confidently explained how his smallish size actually fits perfectly in today's wide-open NFL. "I think it's an advantage because of the offense, the way it's running in terms Rookie Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah Is Making A Quick NFL Impact Through four weeks, Owusu-Koramoah was Pro Football Focus' highest-graded rookie defender (89.8) in the NFL, with the next closest being the Raiders' Nate Hobbs (76.2) and the Cowboys' Micah Parsons (75.4). PHOTO COURTESY CLEVELAND BROWNS NOTRE DAME IN THE NFL: WEEK 4 HIGHLIGHTS • Julian Love (Played at Notre Dame from 2016-18), CB, New York Giants: Made six tackles in a 27-21 overtime win at New Orleans … Came off the bench in each of 1-3 New York's four games and notched 10 tackles (one solo) with one pass defended. • Zack Martin (2009-13), OG, Dallas Cowboys: Started at right guard in Dallas' 36-28 home win over Carolina and helped pave the way for 245 rushing yards … Missed the 3-1 Cowboys' season opener after testing positive for COVID-19, but started the next three contests at right guard. • Harrison Smith (2007-11), S, Minnesota Vi- kings: Started at safety and made six tackles in Minnesota's 14-7 home loss to the Browns … Started all four games for the 1-3 Vikings, and has 28 tackles (21 solo), one sack and a pass broken up. • Jerry Tillery (2015-18), DT, Los Angeles Char- gers: Started at defensive tackle and made two stops, including one sack, in a 28-14 home win against the Raiders … Has started the first four games and has 11 tackles (six solo) and 1.5 sacks. • Drue Tranquill (2014-18), LB, Los Angeles Chargers: Started in the Chargers' 28-14 win over the Las Vegas Raiders and made five tackles (three solo) … Has played in all four games for 3-1 Los Angeles and tallied 17 tackles (12 solo) with 0.5 sacks.