The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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NFL DRAFT PREVIEW Edge Defender David Ojabo Projection: First-Round Pick David Ojabo is still learning the ins and outs of football, but he exploded onto the scene in 2021 and is all but a lock to come off the board in the first round. The Aberdeen, Scotland, native by way of Nigeria did not put pads on until his junior year of high school and got a quick education. "I won't lie, when I first started in high school I was getting smacked around by little dudes," Ojabo said at the combine. "That didn't sit right with me. The toughest thing was the con- tact aspect. Coming from basketball, if you bump someone it's a foul. Soccer, if you bump someone too hard, it's a foul. Football, if you're not bumping someone, you're not playing. "My freshman year [at Michigan] I took a big jump when I started playing against future NFL linemen like [Jon] Runyan [Jr.], Cesar Ruiz. That just bettered me even more." His game is an ever-evolving work- in-progress, but Michigan's win at Wisconsin in 2021 was a moment he felt he was coming into his own. Ojabo recorded seven total tackles and 2.5 sacks in an emotional 38-17 blowout win in Madison. "I was like, 'OK, I think I'm pretty good at this sport,'" Ojabo said. "Everything just kind of clicked together. I had a dominant perfor- mance and that's when I burst on the scene. I had my confidence burst through the roof, and I started believing in myself." This time last year, most would not have imagined that the raw Ojabo would be at the NFL Combine. Some may not have expected it halfway through this season. That has many front offices taking a crash course on what Ojabo brings and who he is. "[The scouts] are just trying to get to know me," he said. "I wasn't really on the scene last year and they are just trying to figure out who David Ojabo is. I'm a Scottish guy, born in Ni- geria, who is just trying to learn this sport and then be the best at it." He feels this opportunity was all part of the master plan for him, and he hopes to represent himself and where he came from. "It's destiny," Ojabo said. "I came over here with one goal, and that's just to make it. I knew there was something out there for me and I was going to make it somehow. I'm sure they see [my potential] and I have got myself here. So I am sure they see something. "I am just getting started. I've only played one year of true college football so I am just learning." WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT DAVID OJABO • "David Ojabo ran well [at the combine]. He tested well. So what do you do with him? Do you move him up a little bit from where I had him [at No. 16]? Probably. Some- where a little bit more down because he was a one-year wonder. But he's got the potential to be good. "As Aidan Hutchinson said during the combine, he's still learning. There are some things that he asks that make you say, 'You didn't know that?' And once you know those things, and they come, they're second nature, he's going to be really, really good. So those are some of the guys that I thought you like coming in and you love the workout that they had." — Mel Kiper Jr. on ESPN's "First Draft" podcast • "[Ojabo is an] emerging edge defender who should see a substantial leap in play consistency with more time to work on his technique and learn the game. The upside is evident, despite his inexperience. "At times, the run tape can be a rough study, but it improved as the 2021 season progressed. Ojabo's rush approach is fairly sophisticated with the feet and agil- ity to juke, stutter, spin and race his way past offensive tackles. He's not ready to take on pro run blockers, but Ojabo is in the early stages of his physical and play development. "It would be wise for evaluators to project and grade the flashes as a high-upside rush talent with 4-3 and 3-4 appeal." — NFL.com's Lance Zierlein NFL COMBINE MEASUREMENTS Height 6-4 Weight 250 pounds Arms 33½ inches Hands 9 inches 40-yd. dash 4.55 seconds Bench — Vertical 35 inches Broad 122 inches 3-cone — 20-yd. shuttle 4.45 seconds 60-yd. shuttle — PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN 34 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2022