The Baltimore Ravens selected edge defender Odafe Oweh with the 31st pick in the 2021 NFL draft. He will be asked to make up some of the production that was lost when Matthew Judon, Yannick Ngakoue, and Jihad Ward left the team in free agency.
Despite the talent and potential that Oweh has to be a major contributor on Baltimore’s defense for years to come, some don’t believe he’ll be able to make as big of an impact during his rookie season. When predicting the player who could be each team’s biggest bust during the 2021 season, Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report named Oweh for the Ravens, talking about how the pass rusher had zero sacks during the 2020 college football season.
“Odafe managed seven career sacks over his first two seasons with the Penn State Nittany Lions, but the highly regarded prospect didn’t notch a single one last season, though…To be fair, Oweh still performed well despite a doughnut in the sack column. He graded as the third-best edge against the run, according to Pro Football Focus.”
Sobleski mentions that Oweh has what it takes to be a dominant defender at the NFL level, but says that Baltimore will have to be patient as he develops.
“He has all the tools to be a dominant defender one day…But the Ravens will need to be patient before Oweh realizes his full capabilities. Until then, Baltimore can lean on Pernell McPhee, Tyus Bowser and Jaylon Ferguson at outside linebacker.”
Even though Oweh will probably go through some ups and downs as a rookie in 2021, to label him as the biggest bust candidate on the entire Ravens roster seems like a bit much. Oweh is a disruptor who can play the run well and even drop back into pass coverage when needed. It’s true his pass rushing skills need a bit of work, but even so, he should be able to contribute positively in some way with the snaps he’s given during the 2021 season.
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