Mel Kiper says Clemson’s Ruke Orhorhoro has first-round talent

Clemson defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro is viewed by ESPN’s Mel Kiper as a sleeper in the 2024 NFL Draft. Orhorhoro isn’t being mentioned as a potential first-round pick at this point, but Kiper believes he possesses that type of talent.

Kiper shared what he likes about Ruke Orhorhoro as a prospect on First Draft on Monday.

“Here’s a kid with first-round talent, I believe, that production – you talk about four sacks two years ago, five sacks this year. Some games a little quiet, when you thought he could be a little more disruptive,” Kiper said. “But when he was on and he hustles, he’s got talent. He’s a late developer.

“He’s an underrated guy from the standpoint of what he could be when he’s coached up and gets more experience.”

A third-team All-ACC selection each of the past two years, Ruke Orhorhoro spent five seasons at Clemson overall.

He appeared in 53 games, with 30 starts and had eight tackles for loss in each of the past three seasons. Orhorhoro is viewed as an intriguing prospect, in part because he’s still relatively new to football.

“His family moved from Nigeria to the United States when he was 9. He was in the prep ranks at Michigan playing basketball. He doesn’t even play football until his junior year of high school,” Kiper said. “This is a kid who comes into Clemson and he shows signs, those flashes of brilliance, at times. He’s quick. He’s explosive. He hustles. I mean he can shoot in there and he closes and finishes quickly, getting after that quarterback, getting into that backfield, wreaking havoc.”

Even though Kiper feels that Ruke Orhorhoro has first-round talent, he expects him to get selected late in Day 2 or early in Day 3.

However, he added that Orhorhoro may move up draft boards during the pre-draft process.

“I think Orhorhoro, third round, maybe fourth round. Maybe somebody reaches a little bit because of the talent,” Kiper said.

“When he tests, he will test really well. People will love this kid. He’s smart, he wants to be great. Maybe they reach a little bit… maybe they push him to the second round. So let’s see. But he’s going to be a really interesting kid, because I don’t think you’ve seen yet what he can be. And defensive line coaches will say, ‘Give me that kid with the smarts and the work ethic and the passion for the game.’”