Though not quite as heralded as college teammate Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan’s David Ojabo possesses top-shelf physical tools that could eventually help him become a high-end pass rusher in the NFL. He has emerged as an intriguing prospect despite having only played the sport for roughly half a decade.
Ojabo spent most of his childhood in Nigeria and Scotland, moving to the United States as a teenager to pursue athletics. He latched onto football during his junior year of high school and quickly grew into a four-star recruit. At Michigan, he saw limited action until the 2021 season, breaking out with double-digit sacks and five forced fumbles. That performance put him squarely on the first-round radar, though a ruptured Achilles suffered during his pro day could push him down draft boards.
LB David Ojabo: Scouting Report
From a physical perspective, Ojabo has all the ingredients of a premier pass rusher. At the NFL Scouting Combine, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.55 seconds and busted out a 35-inch vertical leap, all at 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds. He plays to those testing numbers, demonstrating a quick first step with the ability to get around the edge. And while Ojabo remains fairly new to the sport, he already possesses a refined spin move that reliably gets him past blockers.
Still, Ojabo has significant room to grow in other areas. Offensive linemen can still push him around in the ground game, and he will need to develop more pass-rushing tools to regularly trip up blockers in the NFL. The aforementioned Achilles tear will force him to miss some or all of his rookie season, setting back his development.
Mock Draft landing spots
Mel Kiper/Todd McShay (ESPN): No. 30, Kansas City Chiefs
“For a contender like Kansas City, why not take a chance on a pass-rusher with top-10 upside? The only reason Ojabo dropped this far is the torn Achilles he suffered in March. The Chiefs can afford to wait on him. He could make an impact down the stretch of the season.” — Kiper
Chris Trapasso (CBS Sports): No. 42, Indianapolis Colts
Sporting News: No. 26, Tennessee Titans
“The Titans had great success stashing defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons for their 3-4 under GM Jon Robinson and despite Ojabo coming off a recent torn Achilles’, they can add him to provide more relentless energy in getting to the quarterback behind Harold Landry.”