Draft Season At Vikings Territory: DE Emmanuel Ogbah Scouting Report
[This Emmanuel Ogbah scouting report, with a Vikings slant, has been provided to Vikings Territory by Draft Season. Be sure to check back for more and also be sure to visit Draft Season to quench your NFL Draft thirst. All previously published scouting reports can be found by clicking here.]
Emmanuel Ogbah | Defensive End, Oklahoma St.
Measurements
Height – 6’4″
Weight – 269 lbs.
Age – 22
At First Glance
The AP’s Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, 28 career sacks
Pros
Good size with long, lanky arms.
Physical at the point of contact, which is a big reason he is so strong against the run.
High motor player who goes hard every single snap of the football.
Versatile. He has lined up at both end positions, has been moved inside to tackle, and can even line up at outside linebacker if needed.
Very strong. Can absolutely destroy would-be blockers. Uses his hands well to shed linemen.
Very productive in college. Ogbah finished with the following career numbers – 133 Tackles, 35.5 Tackles for Loss, 26.5 Sacks, 5 Forced Fumbles.
Cons
Good, not great athlete. Ogbah relies mostly on his strength to plow through blockers, rather than speed or a quick get off.
Still a work in progress. Has gotten better every single season, but still has a ways to go to reach his full potential.
Needs to add some more pass rushing moves to the arsenal. He simply relies too much on the bull rush, and while effective in college, that may not fly in the pros.
Pass rush technique needs work. Ogbah is much too high when working around a pass blocker. He needs to learn to sink his hips and get lower.
NFL Player Comparison
Cliff Avril, Seattle Seahawks
Ogbah is similar to Seattle’s Cliff Avril in a few ways. They are similar in size and both have nonstop motors. Avril is extremely aggressive going after the quarterback and is truly relentless in his pursuit – a trait you see when watching Ogbah. Avril is a little quicker off the snap, and clearly has a more refined pass rushing technique but those are things that Ogbah will learn once he gets coached up by NFL defensive minds.
The Vikings Slant
Vikings fit? Yes.
Defensive end is an underrated need for the Vikings heading into the 2016 season. Everson Griffen is an absolute stud as clearly shown by his inclusion in this year’s Pro Bowl. The team also has to be very excited about rookie Danielle Hunter’s future. He had 6 sacks last year and could be promoted to a starter in 2016. Brian Robison is more of a question mark. He is still playing at a high level, but his age is getting up there. It’s unclear at this point if the team will bring him back or only bring him back on a restructured deal. Then after that, all there really is Scott Crichton, who has been a major disappointment. So the team will need to bring in some more depth. Ogbah would be a great fit in Mike Zimmer’s defense. Zimmer would exploit Ogbah’s versatility, lining him up inside in passing situations, and even standing him up at outside linebacker from time to time. Ogbah would thrive under Zimmer’s tutelage, and could reach his immense potential sooner than later. All that being said, it is unlikely they use a first round pick on the position, and that is what they would need to do to get Ogbah. But if he is the best talent on the board when they are on the clock, Spielman just may pull the trigger.
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