Joseph Ossai 2021 NFL Draft Profile

The 2021 NFL Draft will be a great event for teams to start building for their future. Here is the Joseph Ossai 2021 NFL Draft Profile.

Joseph Ossai Background

Position: Edge Rusher

Size: 6-foot-4, 253 pounds

Class: Junior

2020 stats: 55 total tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, two passes defended, one fumble recovered, three forced fumbles

Ossai has been a versatile player for Texas for three years, but found a home at edge rusher in 2020 and has become a solid draft prospect. After three years at Texas he is heading to the NFL.

After coming to America from Nigeria, Ossai picked up football and became a solid high school prospect. He chose to stay in the state of Texas to play for the Longhorns in college. As a freshman, he started two games and got some playing time. He finished the season with 20 total tackles, one sack and one tackle for loss. His role increased as a sophomore, as he finished the season with 61 total tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, two interceptions, one pass defended and one forced fumble. Texas went 8-5 that year and finished off the season with a win in the Alamo Bowl. For the 2020 season, Ossai had 55 total tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, two passes defended, three fumbles forced and a fumble recovered. Texas won the Alamo again to cap off the 2020 season with a 7-3 record.

After three seasons and playing multiple positions, Ossai declared for the NFL Draft. He is a projected first or second round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Strengths

Joseph Ossai

Ossai is a great speed rusher. He has great burst at the snap of the ball, which gives him one of the quickest first steps in the class. After being quick at the snap of the ball, Ossai has good speed on the edge, which makes him hard to stop on the edge. His speed and change of direction will make him tough for tackles who can’t match that.

His motor is great and he has no quit. Ossai shows great effort from the start of a play to the end and plays through the whistle. He is relentless in getting after the quarterback and equally as adamant about chasing down ball carriers, even if the ball is run to the other side of the field.

Ossai shows good gap integrity and an ability to be a stout run defender. Whether he was playing at off-ball linebacker or on the edge, Ossai was always able to know his assignment and get to the ball carrier. He registered a lot of tackles for loss because of his ability to be in the right place and finish of the play with a good tackle.

Weaknesses

He is very limited in his reps as an edge rusher because he was moved around so much early in his career. Ossai needs to learn the nuances of the position and get more reps before his potential can really be seen. His versatility could be useful in a 3-4 scheme, but if a 4-3 team selects him, he won’t get a chance to show it off. With more reps, Ossai’s awareness could improve, as he has been fooled by misdirection and play action at a decent rate.

Ossai needs to add more pass rushing moves and counters to his arsenal to be a more effective pass rusher. He can generate pressure with his speed and athleticism, but a lot of his reps don’t end in sacks. To improve that number, Ossai can have a better pass-rush plan to beat the man across from him.

To play edge rusher at a consistent level, he needs to add play strength. He is a good speed rusher, but to be a more complete player, he needs to add strength to his game. This will help him shed blocks better to make him a more effective run defender and pass rusher.

Projected Draft Range: First Round Pick-Second Round Pick

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