Odighizuwa could absolutely see some serious time in 2021
The UCLA Bruins weren’t as prominent during last month’s 2021 NFL Draft as maybe they had been in previous years, but with Osa Odighizuwa’s selection to the Dallas Cowboys in the third round, Odighizuwa could be in line early to make an impact during his rookie season.
Odighizuwa was selected with the 75th pick overall, the 11th pick of the third round by Dallas. He was the first Bruin to be selected and the fourth Pac-12 defensive player to be selected in the draft, following Joe Tryon, Jevon Holland and Levi Onwuzurike.
He also marked the fifth defensive tackle taken in the 2021 Draft. Odighizuwa enters the 2021 NFL season after earning First-Team All-Pac-12 honors a year ago and is in line to earn playing time early.
Currently, the Cowboys depth chart sports All-Pro Demarcus Lawrence along the edge with a cast of unproven youngsters at seemingly every other position.
Trysten Hill, a 2019 second-rounder, has not entrenched himself as the long-term solution at defensive tackle for Dallas and alongside Hill stands 2020 third-round pick Neville Gallimore and Carlos Watkins, a fourth-round pick by the Houston Texans in 2017.
There is a strong chance that after a great performance at the 2021 Senior Bowl and his place along the defensive line, Odighizuwa should see some early playing time with the Cowboys. And we know he should absolutely make an impact.
And don’t just take it from me. A former scout told 247Sports that Odighizuwa could prove to be the best pick by the Cowboys this draft.
“Micah Parsons is a freak, so I’ll put him up there as their most talented guy, but I’m telling ya we might be looking back three or four years from now and realize that Osa Odighizuwa was their best pick,” NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said on the draft recap episode of the Move the Sticks podcast. “I mean when you look at guys, let’s just add it up right, say you haven’t watched a stitch of tape — I tell you he’s a little bit shorter but he’s got incredibly long arms, he plays really hard, and he’s got like a state wrestling champ background. Just knowing that we’re talking about with his size he’s going to have natural leverage.”
Yeah, that’s a glowing evaluation for the former Bruin!