Joseph Ossai is one of those stories that warms your heart when you hear it. Ossai was born in Lagos, Nigeria on the west coast of Africa. When he was ten years old his family moved to Conroe, Texas so that he could play football and the rest is history. Joesph Ossai is much more than a flattering story. #46 is a nightmare on the field and deserves much more recognition than he’s getting.
College: Texas
Position: 3-4 OLB
Numbers: #46
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 253 lbs
2019 Stats: 13 games played/61 SOLO/90 TOTAL/13.5 TFL/5 Sacks
2020 Stats: 9 games played/25 SOLO/54 TOTAL/16 TFL/5 Sacks
STRENGTHS
1.The first thing that jumps off the screen when watching Longhorns film is Ossai’s relentless effort. His motor is spinning at full blast 100% of the time. The play isn’t over until Ossai has brought down the ball carrier. He is a rush linebacker but is everywhere on the field.
2.Ossai has quick hands and is fast to counter any and all tackles moves. Blockers have trouble getting their hands on Ossai and even more trouble keeping them on him. He’s got a decent rush arsenal and can his quick hands help him get to the outside faster. He just operates a 2.0 playback speed compared to everyone else.
3.Joseph has heavy hands and has the punch of a 300 lbs body builder. His stab off the edge throws back every blocker he faces and sets up his pass rush moves perfectly without fail. Especially from a rush linebacker position his power is incredibly rare even at the NFL level and will be his greatest asset in the NFL.
WEAKNESSES
1.He’ll need to work on his hand placement immediately after the snap. Ossai has that aforementioned stab that blows everyone backwards but he is going to need to be more intentional about where he lands it in order to better set up his pass rush moves. He is smart and operates quickly but sometimes doesn’t fully think through the technique of his pass rush plans.
2.The run game is an area of struggle for Ossai. He is a very smart player but doesn’t always know how to position himself to best get after the back. A downside of him moving so fast is that he’ll find himself in the backfield too fast sometimes and will overshoot backs and QBs once behind the line of scrimmage.
CONCLUSION
Ossai has incredible pass rush upside and has the drive of a champion. His traits are highly desirable but his run game struggles will hold him back in the NFL. I think he is a great player but also needs some polishing and run game help. He’ll be a player that is though about in the late first round but I see him going in the second. Nevertheless, I think he’ll be succesful in the NFL regardless of the round he’s drafted.
Round Projection: Second Round
Pro Comparison: Jason Pierre-Paul