Name: David Ojabo

School: Michigan

Year: Redshirt Sophomore

Position: Edge

Measurables: 6’4 6/8 250 lbs

Stats: 

General Info:

Ojabo was born in Nigera but moved to Scotland at 7. He moved to New Jersey right before high school. Ojabo played football, basketball, track, and soccer in high school. The former Wolverine was a consensus four-star prospect on Rivals, 247 and ESPN. He did not start playing football until his junior year of high school. For his senior year Ojabo collected 33 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 8 tackles for a loss and one forced fumble. He redshirted his first year at Michigan. For 2020 he mostly played special teams collecting just one tackle on the season. He started all of 2021 and registered 35 tackles, 42 pressures, 11 sacks, and five forced fumbles.

Positional Skills:

Strengths

First of all Ojabo is a freak athlete for his size. He has speed, agility, and explosiveness. He can fly around the corner. He has developed a rip and spin move, with the rip looking like a good go to. Ojabo has the frame for another 10-15 pounds without sacrificing his athleticism. Even though he is 250 he plays a very physical brand of football and is a willing run defender. He can keep up with running backs in coverage. When he uses his length/wingspan he shows potential to stack and shed blockers. Ojabo plays to the whistle and his motor runs hot. On film he shows an amazing closing speed to the quarterback. When he is on the back side he does a good job of preventing running backs from cutting back.

Weaknesses

His bend is solid but not elite. He is inexperienced at playing football, having only played five years total. He does struggles in run defense. Ojabo needs to learn to use his hands and his length more to defeat blockers. His pass rush moves still need more development. he comes off the snap too high, negating his explosiveness. The former Wolverine needs to bend his knees more. He is a bit on the small side at 250 and looks like he can still fill out his frame more. On film he gives up his chest to blockers too much. He lacks any counters in his game right now and has yet to show he can string moves together. 

Fit with the Packers:

Ojabo would be a great fit with the Packers. He is expected to go top 10-15 so to get to him they would have to trade up or trade Aaron Rodgers for a high pick or another pick they could package to move up. Right now he is mostly a lump of clay, but he has developed a lot in a short time. The flashes he has shown point to the potential of a perennial pro bowl player maybe even all-Pro. On film he seems to want to be more than just a pass rusher. Mike Smith would be almost the perfect coach to develop him. Just look at what he did with Rashan Gary. He also would be a great compliment to Gary. If he can add some bulk/strength and develop more moves, learn to string, work on counters, use speed to power. He should follow a similar path to Gary. Back up year one, in the rotation year two, and take over year three.