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With the second of their for draft picks on Day 2 in the 2021 NFL Draft the Dallas Cowboys decide to upgrade the interior of their defensive line by selecting UCLA defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa with the 75th overall pick in the third-round.
Dane Brugler’s thoughts on Osa Odighizuwa.
A three-year starter at UCLA, Odighizuwa played nose tackle in defensive coordinator Jerry Anninaro’s 3-4 base scheme, seeing snaps everywhere from zero to five technique positions. He became a starter as a sophomore and finished his career with more tackles for a loss (27.5) than game started (27). A three-time state champion wrestler in high school, Odighizuwa translates several of those traits (balance, toughness, leverage) to the football field, using his powerful hands and backfield vision to defeat blocks and pursue the football. As a pass rusher, he needs to weaponize his rush moves and trust his technique to unlock his ability. Overall, Odighizuwa needs to improve his efficiency as a pass rusher, but he has disruptive qualities with his length, power and quickness and shouldn’t be scheme-dependent in the NFL.
75. Dallas Cowboys: B-
Osa Odighizuwa is an intriguing DT prospect who will likely play the 3-tech in Dan Quinn’s 4-3 scheme with the Cowboys. He has disruptive qualities as both a pass rusher and run defender, which are intangibles Quinn looks for in his interior defensive lineman.
While Odighizuwa adds much-needed depth to the Cowboys DL where he will fit early on raises some questions. With Trysten Hill and Neville Gallimore already in the mix at the 3-tech, it will be interesting to see where the former UCLA DT fits into the equation. Can he compete for a starting job as a rookie or will he be a rotational player early on?
Overall, the Dallas Cowboys decision to draft Osa Odighizuwa feels like it was a little bit of a reach at No. 75, especially considering some of the other players still available. Having said that, he definitely fills a position of need and fits Dan Quinn’s preferred parameters for a defensive tackle.