We have seen in the past that the Chiefs have selected players in late rounds who became impact players. Or, they have taken and molded Cornerbacks to starting roles from the undrafted ranks. Two such players integral to the Chiefs at CB were late-round pick Rashad Fenton and UDFA Charvarius Ward. Using statistics taken from an article by Bo Wulf, I want to illustrate the success of Draft selections. In this case, it’s for the Edge players. My point is to show what Laddie and I wrote about two years ago regarding the draft success per round. The draft success of round-one draft picks as opposed to later round success.
Setting the Later Round Edge Statistics
“There have been 45 Pro Bowl/All-Pro edge rushers over the past ten seasons. So we have a little more to work with sample-wise. Still, as you might expect, given the importance of the position, the overwhelming majority of the league’s best edge rushers were drafted in the first round (60 percent of them, which ranks behind only quarterback and offensive tackle). Unlike those other two premium positions, though, there have been a healthy amount of Day 3 and undrafted finds. Eleven Pro Bowl or All-Pro edge rushers were drafted in the fourth round and later or not at all compared to only seven who were drafted in Rounds 2 and 3.” – Excerpt from an article by Bo Wulf, Staff Author for “The Athletic.”
The Biggest Chiefs Exposure is for Edge Defenders
I have explained in previous articles my preferences for drafting Edge Defenders. At the same time, I have verbalized that the Chiefs should double-dip in the draft for the position. I love Boye Mafe for his “Juice,” but I have begun to re-think that position. Suppose I draft two players, but the first of them is to ensure that David Ojabo our choice in the draft. Were it not for his injury & required rehab. He would have been a top ten draft pick. Now it’s likely that he will fall to the Chiefs and their currentOjabo round one selections at #29 and #30. Even if he was likely to be drafted in the last third of the Draft, the Chiefs could use two draft picks to move up in the draft to ensure that Ojabo is brought to the Kingdom.
Why Ojabo?
David Ojabo sustained an Achillies Tendon injury which likely will move him down the rankings. Experts ranked Ojabo between pick 15 and 25, and one source, PFN, rated David as the #5 overall pick. The Injury put the kibash on those predictions. For this reason, I have examined all that we know about the young talented player in the case of injury and rehab. Sure, another team might select Ojabo before the Chief’s existing draft picks. Analysts attribute Ojabo as lacking game experience(only 20 starts).
Ojabo Draft Combine Metrics
- Height: 6’5″
- Weight: 25040-Yard: 4.55
- Short Shuttle: 4.55
- Arm Length: 33 ½”
- Vertical: 35″
- Broad Jump: 122″
These are nearly perfect to match the desired metrics for DE(that phantom player profile). His weight is lacking, which will come as he matures. His arm length is less than the optimum(34 or 35 inches).
According to NFL.Com:
Strengths
- Defensive scout team player of the year in 2019.
- Holds himself and others to a standard.
- Improved block take-ons as season progressed.
- Spies runner through engagement and works toward him.
- Speed to close down outside runs.
- Rush is unpredictable and unusually diverse.
- Confuses tackles with altered cadence and stutter steps.
- Able to find a second gear at the top of the rush.
- Fluid inside/outside spin move and able to stack moves.
- Always searching for the strip sack.
Ojabo does have noted deficiencies, as does every player in the draft.
- Play Recognition and Instinct Still Developing
- Bend and Dip Needs Development
- Run Defense Projected as a Weakness
- Below Average Block-Shed Twitch
- Struggles to Counter a Stiff Outside Hand
- Suffered Achilles Tendon Injury at Michigan Pro-Day
Ojabo is not perfect, and for me, this would indicate his draft position in the top 10 is faulty. Otherwise, aside from the Achilles injury, he would be rated as a round-one draft pick. Of course, should he be the target of the Chiefs, his selection might fall to the Chiefs without requiring multiple draft picks to move up and select him. The fact is that Ojabo wrought havoc on opponents in games.
Ojabo logged seven sacks, seven tackles for loss, three pass deflections, three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. Then he logged four sacks in games following where He recorded two sacks — including a strip-sack versus Michigan State, followed by two sacks versus Penn State. — in a close loss to the Michigan State Spartans. Ojabo, new to football, was showing significant prowess as an Edge Defender, and he was only a Junior in 2021.
Ojabo is a native Nigerian and dramatically burst on the NCAA scene in 2021. Barring the injury, Ojabo projects as a round-one pick. The Chiefs would be fortunate to select him at pick #29 or #30 — but the Injury probably puts Ojabo in that range for selection.
It’s a risk to expend a draft pick in the first round, and it’s also expensive. What might be a perfect scenario is to trade out of round one, acquire another top-50 draft pick, and select him with an early round-two draft pick. I listed the weaknesses earlier. Each of those is coachable a deficiency. If such a trade were not possible, then I think Brett Veach should drop the hammer and select Ojabo with Pick #30. Would I trade up to bring Ojabo to Kansas City?
Again, it is risky to select a player in round one and even more perilous to choose a player who has suffered an injury and will not be available in camp.
Of course, the Team would have to wait on Ojabo to complete his rehab. Is that worth the gamble for a player who might become a generational player? With the Club selecting at the bottom of round one every year, the opportunity to draft a player with Ojabo’s talent is exceedingly rare. Our “Maverick” GM, Brett Veach, is Bold and Aggressive. I believe David Ojabo has elite qualities that are proven. He is explosive, and he has speed with great lateral agility. He is flexible and has the power to exploit while also possessing the ability to adapt to the flow of play. Brett Veach can still select a WR in round one, which may occur. I think it behooves Veach to ensure that the Chiefs bring Ojabo to the roster–even if he must trade up to select him.
If the Chiefs decide that this is the case, they must draft a second DE player.
Who is the 2nd DE?
I have thought about this extensively as well. It is here that I believe Boye Mafe as a draft pick comes into play; I have covered this on previous occasions.
Despite my view of Mafe, I then thought about who would be the right kind of candidate if the Chiefs had to wait until round 3. I propose, in that case, the Chiefs wait on a player who fits all the metrics but who is not as highly rated a player as others in the draft. This is merely an example. Things may unfold this way: The Chiefs take the top DE with one of their first two picks and a DE such as Drake Jackson.
Then in round two, Veach picks David Ojabo. At WR, Veach could use the other round one pick to trade up(along with other draft picks) to select Jameson Williams(WR, Alabama). I would be willing to use a 1st, third, and a toss-in pick to accomplish this. I am running a mock draft to test this theory to accomplish just that. My draft targets are a top WR, Two DEs, and a DT. This particular mock draft yielded:
I missed being able to trade up to select Jameson Williams but chose Watson as a fit for the new Chief’s hybrid WR corps. What the import is this: I was able to get both Jackson and Ojabo while also selecting Devonte Wyatt(DT, GA).
Of course, this is an illustration and may have no bearing on how the draft will unfold. Maybe it’s just me, but I think something like this is plausible. My goal was to obtain an immediate impact player for the Edge. I simultaneously wanted to draft Ojabo. At the same time, obtaining a pass-rush threat for the IDL was a priority. That is also going to be possible. In this case, I didn’t execute a possible trade-up to pick 21 to select Jameson. Trading up with New England to pick #21 would have allowed me to draft Williams. In this particular mock draft, Jameson went at pick #22.
At any rate, this is a look at Acquiring David Ojabo. They say ‘patience is a virtue’, don’t they?
David Bell – ArrowheadOne