Michigan OLB David Ojabo blocking out NFL Draft noise: 'I'm focused on the season'
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Michigan Wolverines football redshirt freshman outside linebacker David Ojabo was projected to be selected No. 10 overall in ESPN analyst Todd McShay’s latest NFL mock draft and is listed as the ninth-best overall prospect by colleague Mel Kiper Jr.
Ojabo made a historic rise this season. After redshirting in 2019 and playing just 26 snaps in 2020, Ojabo enjoyed a breakout 2021 campaign while becoming one of Michigan’s biggest impact players on defense. He’s racked up 35 tackles, 12 stops for loss, 11 sacks and a program-record five forced fumbles, elevating up draft boards in the process.
RELATED
• Michigan football: Who’s staying, who’s going for 2022
• Wolverine TV: Mike Macdonald, Michigan defenders preview Orange Bowl, Georgia matchup
While several players across the country have already declared for the 2022 NFL Draft — some even opting out of bowl games — Ojabo isn’t quite there yet. With Michigan set to face Georgia in the College Football Playoff semifinal, Ojabo is solely focused on the task at hand, even though many predict that he will at least test the NFL waters following the conclusion of the campaign.
“I’m focused on this season,” Ojabo said Tuesday morning. “I haven’t really given that much attention. When it comes time for the draft time, draft attention, I’m going to switch the focus to that. But you see us, we’re in the playoffs. Can’t be talking about the draft or focusing on the draft.”
The Nigerian-born, Scotland-raised star hasn’t had much time to reflect back on how he got to this point, either, but he recognizes how unusual his journey was.
“Coming into the season, I had 20 snaps and I was unknown,” he noted. “Looking back at it, seeing where I’m at now, it’s a blessing, but like I said earlier, when it comes to draft time, that’s when my focus will go on there and really reflect on what I’ve done. But it’s really obvious, coming from unknown to now — it’s a big jump.”
A lot of his success has come because of the opportunity, Ojabo said, noting that this was really the first season where he had a chance to prove himself. Still, he knows he has a lot of room to grow.
“It hasn’t surprised me, because at the end of the day I know the work I put in,” Ojabo said. “There’s always room to grow in every player’s game, so obviously stuff like the run game, even the pass game.
“But the same situation for me and [redshirt freshman cornerback] DJ [Turner], man. All we needed was a chance. We didn’t get our chance until this year. As soon as we did, man, we just took it and ran with it.”
Last offseason, Ojabo decided to work closely with Michigan junior defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, the projected No. 1 overall pick for next spring’s draft, a decision that has paid off in spades.
“It started in the summer training when I just told him I was going to be in his hip pocket, just knowing he was going to be a top-five guy,” Ojabo recalled.
“It was a smart thing to do, to have someone who like knows the ways and having someone to follow, and it’s translated throughout the season. We just feed off each other. You go up, I go under, you go under, I go up. We just do our thing.”
