Packers Check Out 3-4 OLB Candidate At Shrine Game

Green Bay scouts have reportedly talked with Rice's Cheta Ozougwu while at the East-West Shrine game this week.

While the Green Bay Packers players and coaches are focused on the NFC Championship game this weekend, their scouts are focused on the future of the franchise. And this weekend's East-West Shrine game and practices and game is where most of their attention is focused this week.

According to Brandon Benson of Acme Packing Company who's getting the intelligence from SB Nation's Alfie Crow in Orlando:

The Packers talked to Rice DE Cheta Ozougwu. At 6'2" and 252 lbs., he sounds like the next Frank Zombo because NFL Draft Scout gave him a 7th round grade, and he would seem a likely candidate to convert to outside linebacker.

There's additional evidence to believe that Ozougwu could make the switch to outside linebacker. From NFL.com's Bucky Brooks:

Cheta Ozougwu of Rice could be an intriguing pass rusher on the next level. Although he is a little undersized at 6-foot-2, 255 pounds, he has a quick first step and an explosive closing burst. He repeatedly defeated blockers off the edge in one-on-one and team drills. Teams looking for outside rushers in a 3-4 will prize his skills in the mid-to-late round range regardless of his size limitations.

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Comments (7)

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PackersRS's picture

January 21, 2011 at 02:49 pm

Is TT and the scouting staff just better at searching for 3-4 OLBs than 4-3 DEs, or is it coincidence that they've found better pass rushers for our 3-4 than they've found DEs when we were in the 4-3?

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CSS's picture

January 21, 2011 at 03:37 pm

Part of it's the body-type of the kids now rushing the passer at the collegiate level due to the proliferation of spread/gimmick offenses.

Over the last decade, there have been more and more of what used to be 'tweener' athletes in the 6'3" 245 lbs. + mold asked to chase smaller players, set the edge against the run and get upfield fast against the pass.

It's not that TT and his staff are really more effective at scouting stereotypical 3-4 OLB's, the body type is now (I'm just guessing) outnumbering your Mario Williams type 4-3 DE's by a 3-1 ratio.

Not a coincidance that almost 20 NFL teams will be running a 3-4 base next year (of course, that's only one reason).

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thepretzelhead on twitter's picture

January 21, 2011 at 03:08 pm

They talked with Rice's Cheta Ozougwu. I'm talking to Barleys Hop and Malt.

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thepretzelhead on twitter's picture

January 21, 2011 at 03:10 pm

oh and with 15 coming of IR - let's bundle picks and go up up up.

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zub's picture

January 21, 2011 at 06:28 pm

How is this guy undersized? Isn't he the same size as Mathews?

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razzicc's picture

January 22, 2011 at 10:56 am

My thoughts exactly

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CSS's picture

January 22, 2011 at 01:07 pm

Undersized as an NFL DE, his current collegiate position. It's a jump going from hand in the ground at college to standing up in the pros.

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