Owamagbe Odighizuwa and Datone Jones were teammates at UCLA for three seasons from 2010 through 2012, both of them highly-regarded defensive line prospects.

Jones became a first round draft pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2013, and now Odihizuwa is looking to follow in Jones' footsteps with the NFL Draft less than a month away.

Both players learned the ropes from Bruins defensive line coach Angus McClure as multitalented defenders, lining up both inside and outside the tackle box in college.

"I did some of the things that Datone did at UCLA, playing kind of that '4i,' playing in-between the tackles in like rush situations and even playing on the edge as a left defensive end and a right defensive end," said Odighizuwa at the NFL Combine. "Again, I think Datone Jones is another guy who's very versatile, and Angus McClure molded to be that type of player, and I did as much as I could to learn from him and emulate what he did."

Whereas Jones is primarily a defensive lineman, Odighizuwa looks to be more of edge defender at football's next level at 6' 3" and 267 lbs., but both are capable of the same type of production

Odighizuwa had his best season in college as a senior when he set career-highs in nearly every statistical category: 61 tackles, 11.5 for a loss, six sacks, five passes deflected.

After an impactful 2014 campaign, Odighizuwa's stock is pointing upward, perhaps as high as the first round.

Like Jones, Odighizuwa was also a beneficiary of the NFL background UCLA head coach Jim Mora brought to Los Angeles when he was hired.

"When he came in, he brought in an NFL coaching staff," said Odighizuwa. "He hired Angus McClure as a defensive line coach, and he has a lot of offensive experience and offensive background, so I think that whole thing helped me as a football player because he taught me how to study film. He taught me to be a more smarter football player. And then kind of the structure that Mora provided for us allowed us to really develop as football players, so I think that whole situation really helped me the last three years under his program."

Among Odighizuwa's best assets are his straight-ahead speed and explosive ability. For players classified as defensive linemen at the NFL Combine, he turned in the highest vertical jump (39 inches), longest broad jump (127 inches), ran the second-fastest 40-yard dash (4.62 seconds) and tied for the second-fastest short shuttle (4.19 seconds).

For all those impressive performances, however, there are questions about Odighizuwa's fluidity, flexibility, lateral agility and ability to drop into coverage. Even though he might be considered an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defensive system, he could be the type of player that relies on his ample strength and not bend-around-the-edge pass rush.

Part of the concern about Odighizuwa arises from surgery on both hips that forced him to miss the entire 2013 season. To hear the player himself address the situation, however, Odighizuwa doesn't see much of a problem.

"So far it hasn't affected me. ... I haven't had any restriction," said Odighizuwa. "My range of motion has been good, so I'm excited to showcase that."

Maybe the proof is in the pudding. After all, his impressive 2014 season and Combine performance both came after his surgeries, not before.

Whether it's weak side or strong side, left side or right side, inside or outside, Odighizuwa feels like he'll be able to find success in the NFL.

"Honestly, I feel like just because of what I was able to do at UCLA, what the coaches asked me to do, I feel comfortable playing multiple positions because of the amount of work I put in to understand what I'm doing," said Odighizuwa. "So I think going forward, whatever coaches want me to do, whatever they ask me to do, I'm going to be very comfortable because of my experience with versatility."

Brian Carriveau is the author of the book "It's Just a Game: Big League Drama in Small Town America," and editor at Cheesehead TV and its "Pro Football Draft Preview." To contact Brian, email [email protected].