Olu Oluwatimi selected by Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft

Michigan center Olu Oluwatimi has found his home in the pros with the Seattle Seahawks selecting him with the No. 154 overall pick in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He joins Michigan EDGE Mike Morris, who the Seahawks chose just three picks earlier, also in the fifth round.

Oluwatimi began his college career at Air Force before transferring to Virginia and later Michigan. He started 46 games at center in his career, 14 of which came last season in Ann Arbor. He was the program’s third-ever Rimington winner and its first recipient of the Outland Award. Oluwatimi’s play made him a first-team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, Sporting News, FWAA, and AFCA and a second-team selection by the AP.

“He solidified that [Michigan] offensive line as a run blocker,” ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said on the draft broadcast. “I’ll tell you, positional blocks, driving defenders off the ball. Getting to the second level — there wasn’t a lot of that going on. But as a pass protector, the awareness, the ability to anchor against athletic defenders. You look at a guy here, solid year overall. Durable, consistent, smart kid, wants to get better. He’ll put in the effort as a later-round pick to try to make this football team and become more than just a backup.”

“He transfers over from Virginia to Michigan, becomes a captain right away,” ESPN analyst Todd McShay added. “He lost three of his friends and former teammates at Virginia in that senseless shooting attack that shocked the Cavaliers. Four days later, his father had surgery to remove a brain tumor. Two days after that, before the Illinois game, he played, he still had the strength to do it and said he wanted to do it for his former teammates. [Michigan head coach] Jim Harbaugh told me that week, he has the strength of 10 men — not just physically, but mentally.”

Oluwatimi was ready for the pros before arriving at Michigan, but wanted to take his game to the next level and play wining football. Mission accomplished on both fronts.

“I feel like I could have made the jump last year,” Oluwatimi said at Michigan football’s pro day. “Probably wouldn’t have known if I would’ve got drafted. That’s probably the only thing. But at the end of the day, it’s not where you start, it is where you finish for the NFL.

“I feel like could have made the jump last year, but I feel like I positioned myself coming here and I’m pretty sure I’ll get drafted, hopefully. I’m happy right where I am at.”

The future NFL players on Michigan’s 2022 roster helped Oluwatimi unlock another step in his development, but it was ultimately the coaches that threw the kitchen sink at him. He expects to be all the better for it.

Here’s what The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had to say about Oluwatimi as a prospect, grading him as a 5th-6th round prospect.

“A one-year starter at Michigan, Oluwatimi was an ideal fit at center in head coach Jim Harbaugh’s power-spread offense. After an All-American junior season at Virginia, he took his talents to Ann Arbor for the 2022 season and stocked his shelves with the Rimington Award (nation’s top center), Outland Trophy (nation’s top interior lineman) and the Joe Moore Award (nation’s top offensive line).

“Oluwatimi shows a natural understanding of blocking angles and works hard to stay in between ball and defender. However, he doesn’t create consistent spacing in the run game and lacks ideal range and sustain skills as a pass blocker. Overall, Oluwatimi doesn’t have the position versatility, explosiveness or point of attack power that most NFL teams desire, but he is a cerebral, assignment-sound blocker with A-plus character. He is a potential rotational center in the NFL.”

Our take on Michigan center Olu Oluwatimi

“Oluwatimi has the traits and mentality to play in the NFL as long as he wants to, whether it be as a solid starting center or one of the best reserve offensive linemen in the league,” we wrote in Oluwatimi’s pre-draft profile. “His expertise, IQ and intangibles should make him a locker room and culture fit wherever he goes, and he is a pretty darn good football player to boot. When you get into the mid-rounds of the draft, you want a guy who has a good chance to make your roster and be an asset. In that respect, Oluwatimi is one of the safest picks in the entire NFL Draft class.”

The 2023 NFL Draft takes place from Thursday, April 27 through Saturday, April 29 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Round 1 of the NFL Draft was on Thursday, Apr. 27. Rounds 2-3 will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 28, and Rounds 4-7 will begin at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 29. The draft will be broadcast throughout the weekend on both ESPN and NFL Network.