ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay sounds off on Michigan EDGE David Ojabo
ESPN senior NFL draft analyst Todd McShay fielded questions from the media in a conference call Wednesday afternoon and had some interesting things to say about Michigan EDGE David Ojabo.
Ojabo started eight games for the Wolverines this past season in an All-American campaign before suffering a torn Achilles at Michigan’s pro day. McShay outlined the pros and cons to taking Ojabo after the injury, along with what to expect upon his return. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound defender is still projected to be a first-round selection (No. 30, Chiefs) according to the most recent ESPN three-round mock draft; however, McShay disagrees with his colleague’s pick.
NFL Combine results: 4.55 40-yard dash | 35-inch vertical jump | 122-inch broad jump | 4.45 20-yard shuttle
Needing to develop at the next level
McShay: “Right now versus the run, he’s very average. He’s gotta get stronger in his lower body, and because of his background, and his story, and his journey, he just doesn’t have a ton of football experience. Just a one-year starter at Michigan. So, there was still always that element of having to develop him. He was a developmental prospect in terms of getting the value as a top-15 pick which is around where I thought he was gonna go prior to the injury.”
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“But then you look at the upside and say, ‘alright, we’re gonna draft him late in the first or somewhere in the second.’ I think it’s more likely he goes in the second just so you know, but it wouldn’t shock me if a team took him late in the first simply because you get that fifth-year option and you’re trying to get four years of value out of him knowing that you’re probably not gonna get a lot, if anything, out of him as a rookie.”
On the Michigan product’s NFL potential
McShay: “Once he gets on the field, and assuming he’s back to full strength, you’ve got a serious pass rusher. Like a guy who can come in, and even as he continues to develop his hands, become more in sync with all of his moves and put it together in the pass-rush plan, he’s just gonna keep getting better as a pass rusher. He is so naturally talented with his explosive get-offs, the spin move, how quick he is, change of direction, and the closing burst is outrageous. There’s so much to work with. He’s not falling out of the second round.”
What to expect when Ojabo returns
McShay: “There’s just so many factors in terms of losing that first year and knowing when you do get him back on the field you still have developing that you have to do before you feel great about him being an every-down starter. Even at Michigan, he was a starter, but he came off the field a lot more than Hutchinson did. Usually it was short-yardage situations, early downs, more run-heavy type situations, and I think that’ll be the case during his first year which may be in 2023.”
