For a third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Osa Odighizuwa impressed on the interior of the defensive line after getting thrown into the fire sooner than most expected. While he hit a bit of a rookie wall down the stretch, the second-year defensive tackle out of UCLA is expected to make a big impact in his sophomore campaign.

Year One Stats

Year Two Outlook

Entering year one with minor expectations, Osa Odighizuwa impressed in his starting role after injury to Neville Gallimore forced him onto the field sooner than many expected. Defensive tackle is a position that takes some time for rookies to make an immediate impact, but Odighizuwa had no issues doing so as a first-year player. While he seemed to hit a bit of a rookie wall down the stretch, year two should bring a stronger, quicker, and a more technically developed interior defensive lineman that can play the three-technique, as well as the one-technique in Dan Quinn’s multiple front scheme.

One of his struggles was playing at a high level for sixty minutes, which was one of the main issues for him to close out the season. Building up his endurance should be something he’ll improve on from year one to year two, as well as continuing to get stronger to avoid some of the gap integrity issues he had at times in 2021. While he’s by no means a “sexy name” on the Dallas defense, Odighizuwa should play a big role in the defenses success story in 2022.

Year Two Stat Projections

• Tackles: 43
• Sacks: 4
• Forced Fumbles: 1
• Interceptions: 0
• Tackles For Loss: 8
• QB hits: 16