Editor's note: David Ojabo was picked by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round (45th overall) of the NFL Draft on April 29.
Dylan Roney thought maybe a cleat had broken when he heard a pop while David Ojabo went through drills during the University of Michigan's pro day.
But when Roney, Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh and others spoke to Ojabo ashe winced in pain on the ground, the mood became somber.
“He was just saying, 'I can't believe it. I've never been hurt before,'” Roney recalled during a recent phone interview with the Beacon Journal. “That's when I realized that pop might have been something a little bit worse than what I initially thought.”
Ojabo had suffered a torn left Achilles tendon during the March 18 workout atGlick Field House in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Everyone involved with the standout pass rusher immediately knew his entrance into the NFL would look much different as a result of the devastating injury.
“It was really heartbreaking,” said Roney, a defensive graduate assistant coach who work's with Michigan's outside linebackers.
How to watch, live stream NFL Draft 2022:The Cleveland Browns' annual Super Bowl is here
Are Browns interested in drafting David Ojabo at a bargain price?
Prior to Michigan's pro day, draft experts had been discussing Ojabo as a virtual lock to become a first-round pick.
NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah had Ojabo ranked 18th among prospects in this year's draft, which will run Thursday through Saturday. And on conference calls last week, ESPN analyst Todd McShay said he thought Ojabo would be a top-15 pick, and SiriusXM analyst Mark Dominik said he believed Ojabo would “go probably top 10 or right on the bubble there.”
“There were so many scouts [at the pro day] asking about him and very excited about him,” Roney said. “Before that injury, just talking with people, I really think he was going to go top 10, as high as maybe seven or eight.”
Now Ojabo might fall out of Thursday night's first round altogether and slide all the way to the Browns in the second round on Friday night. After sending the 13th overall selection and five other picks to the Houston Texans on March 18 as part of a controversial trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Browns aren't scheduled to go on the clock until No. 44 overall.
Free agents to watch:Cleveland Browns' pursuit of Jadeveon Clowney, Jarvis Landry won't affect NFL Draft plans, GM Andrew Berry says
Edge rusher is one of the Browns' top needs, too. Even if the Browns re-sign unrestricted free agent Jadeveon Clowney to start opposite All-Pro Myles Garrett, it would still be an area of the roster ripe for succession planning.
All draft picks are projections, but one who might need to redshirt as a rookie due to injury represents a greater gamble. Yet the notion of choosing Ojabo could be enticing to the Browns because securing a first-round talent in the second round would, in a roundabout away, be akin to regaining the opening-round selection they shipped to Texans.
Last week, Browns General Manager Andrew Berry offered a glimpse of therisk-reward analysis of drafting any injured player who wouldn't be able to play right away but could be had for a discount.
“It's definitely something that we run through,” Berry said during his annual pre-draft news conference at Browns headquarters. “It really is unique to the player, and that is both the talent level, the position and then with your medical staff. What is the injury? What is the prognosis for not just recovery, where they are medically cleared, but also potential for long-term or short-term impact on performance as well?
“All of those really come in to play. Also, quite honestly, the reality of it is that depending on the injury, if you are giving up a year of the player’s rookie contract, that also has to factor in as well. Each situation really is unique.”
It's a safe bet those are the questions the Browns have asked themselves about Ojabo.
NFL Draft 2022:Cleveland Browns GM Andrew Berry says it's 'unlikely' he'll trade up into first round
Jeremiah and McShay said last week during conference calls they think Ojabo will be available in the second round. Dominik said he believes Ojabo will still be picked somewhere in the first round, but if he makes it to the Browns in the second round, they should spend merely “two seconds” turning in the card for him.
“If you can have him on the football field come December and hopefully in January with the team that [the Browns] have, that is worth it,” said Dominik, a former GM of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “... It's worth it because you've got to think four years down the road. You've got three and a half more years with this guy that will make a difference, and that's worth it to me.”
The timetable for Ojabo's return to football is unclear, but there are many success stories among NFL players who have rehabilitated from a surgically repaired torn Achilles. Nine months to a year is often the range for return to play, though that's not always the case.
Jeremiah said if he were Ojabo's agent, he would send game tape of Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers to teams. Akers returned to game action about 5½ months after suffering the injury in mid-July before training camp. He played Jan. 9 in the 2021 regular season finale and all four of his team's playoff games, including its victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.
Last year, defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo suffered a torn Achilles in January while training for the Senior Bowl. In April, the Indianapolis Colts drafted Odeyingbo in the second round (No. 54 overall) out of Vanderbilt. He debuted with the Colts on Oct. 31 and played 10 games last season.
Versatile defensive lineman is another potential Browns target:Logan Hall will benefit from physical transformation in NFL Draft
Of course, Browns safety Grant Delpit is another example of a player who has rebounded from a ruptured Achilles. He suffered the injury on Aug. 24, 2020, in a training camp practice and missed his entire rookie season. He made his NFL debut on Sept. 19 and played 15 games last season.
“I would guarantee [Ojabo will] be back sooner than most people think he will just because of his work ethic and attacking everything he does,” Roney said. “I know it's obviously a bad injury, but I really believe that he'll surprise a lot of people with how quickly he can come back and just how well he'll be able to perform when he does.”
Roney said Ojabo is in “full-fledged work mode” now and has a strong support system around him.
“God got me!! ima be back stronger than ever,” Ojabo tweeted March 18, “all part of my story.”
Cleveland has big need on interior of its front four, too:Perrion Winfrey could change mood among Browns defensive tackles if acquired in NFL Draft
From a player's perspective, the difference between being drafted at the midpointof the first round and halfway through the second round this year will be about $8.6 million.
Roney described Ojabo as a positive person, not one to let adversity “get him down or knock him back” for long.
“His smile, his personality just lights up the room,” Roney said. “He's a guy that you definitely always want to be around.”
Michigan edge rusher David Ojabo didn't begin playing football until his junior year of high school
Injury aside, the story of Ojabo's path to the NFL is remarkable.
Born in Nigeria, Ojabo moved to Aberdeen, Scotland, with his family when he was 7. He played basketball and soccer growing up and moved by himself to United States for boarding school when he was 15. At Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey, Ojabo played basketball, soccer and ran track before starting football as a junior.
Another position to watch early in NFL Draft:Skyy Moore still new to wide receiver, but may be what Cleveland Browns seek
The realization that a post playerwith his height —6 feet, 4 inches — wouldn't go far in hoops and watching friend Odafe Oweh become a coveted college recruit as a new football player at Blair led Ojabo to the gridiron. Oweh went to Penn State and had five sacks last season as a rookie edge rusher with the Baltimore Ravens, who drafted him in the first round (No. 31 overall) in 2021.
“I seen the success he had after playing one year,” Ojabo said last month at the NFL Scouting Combine, “and I thought I could do the same.”
This perfectly illustrates how impressive Ojabo is as an athlete: Before he even participated in a football practice at Blair, Rutgers and Maryland hosted him on recruiting visits. Ojabo said he had received a helmet from both collegiate programs before he had been fitted for one at Blair.
“He ran a 10.8 in high school in the 100-meter [dash],” Roney said. “So, obviously, someone that size, that big, that long running a 10.8 is going turn a lot of eyes.
“I've seen great get offs. There's not much like what he can do, just coming off the ball quick, his ability to change directions. We would be in defensive staff meetings [at Michigan] and our DBs coach, Coach [Steve] Clinkscale, would be saying, 'This dude could be playing safety for us,' just watching him move, watching some of his drops, watching his ability to bend and turn. It's a special player. There's no question.”
Dragging out thebreakup:Cleveland Browns GM Andrew Berry on Baker Mayfield feeling disrespected: 'Definitely understand it'
But Ojabo, who posted an official time of 4.55 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the combine,will be among the first to admit he is also raw.
“I'm just getting started. I've only played one year of true college football, so I'm just learning,” said Ojabo, a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.
Ojabo redshirted as a Michigan freshmanin 2019 and played just 27 defensive snaps in 2020.
In 2021, he had a breakout season as a redshirt sophom*ore, compiling 35 tackles, with 12 for loss and 11 sacks. He tallied three pass breakups, eight quarterback hurries, one fumble recovery and five forced fumbles — a single-season program record —while lining up opposite defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, a candidate to be drafted No. 1 overall Thursday night by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The view from coach Kevin Stefanski:Cleveland Browns players embracing Deshaun Watson while putting his legal situation aside
Ojabo's parents traveled from Scotland in November to watch him play in person for the first time. Michigan defeated visiting Ohio State 42-27, and Ojabo had three tackles, including a sack.
Ojabo, who will turn 22 on May 17, was voted a second-team All-American by the Associated Press and a consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection.
“He hasn't been playing football for super long, and if you just watch game by game this past season, how much better he got each game is absolutely insane,” Roney said. “He started off the season well, but then just seeing each game how much he improved, especially once he started getting more confidence in himself and his abilities, he's just got the highest of ceilings.”
In addition to the injury, Ojabo's lack of on-field repetitions compared with his peers must be weighed by talent evaluators in his potential landing spots.
“You are drafting him as more of a projection than a complete player,” McShay said. “Right now versus the run, he's very average. He's got to get stronger in his lower body. Because of his background and his story and his journey, he doesn't have a ton of football experience. He was just a one-year starter at Michigan. So there was always that element of having to develop him.
Marla Ridenour column:'Draft Day' was just a preview as Cleveland Browns' dysfunction returns
“Once he gets on the field and assuming he's back to full strength, you've got a serious pass rusher. And even as he continues to develop his hands and becomes more in sync with all of his moves and putting together the pass-rush plan, he's just going to keep getting better as a pass rusher. He is so naturally talented with this explosive get off, the spin move, how quick he is and sudden, the change of direction, and the closing burst is outrageous. There's so much to work with. He's not falling out of the second round.
“There's so many factors in terms of [potentially] losing that first year [due to injury] and then knowing when you do get him back on the field, you still have developing you have to do before you feel great about him being in every-down starter. Even at Michigan, he was the starter, but he came off the field a lot more than Hutchinson did, and usually it was in short-yardage situations, early downs, more run heavy type situations, and I think that'll be the case during his first year, which may be in '23.”
Cleveland under investigation:GM Andrew Berry saysBrowns are eager for NFL 'to release findings' in Hue Jackson probe
Would David Ojabo fit the Cleveland Browns' defense?
Ojabo played outside linebacker and rushed from a standing position the vast majority of the time at Michigan. He weighed 250 pounds at the combine and 252 pounds at Michigan's pro day.
It begs the question whether he would fit as a defensive end on the four-man front the Browns use.
Veteran quarterback stays ready:Cleveland Browns' Jacoby Brissett not worrying about possible Deshaun Watson suspension
“Could he play a 4-3 end? Yeah, I think there's no question he could,” Roney said. “Every week he got better and not just in rushing the passer, which I know is why so many teams want him, but he's got long arms, using his length to keep blockers off him to set the edge. All the things that you need in the run game, he just got better and better each week. I think there's no question he could put his hand and dirt and be an every-down guy playing the run and rushing the passer.
“But I do think in terms of where he could be most successful, more outside 'backer because he can he can drop [into pass coverage]. He did a real good job dropping in coverage, just because of his fluidity, his movements.”
Mum on the quarterback:Browns coachKevin Stefanski won't 'get into specifics' of Baker Mayfield feeling disrespected
Dominik believes Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods would figure out how to best deployOjabo. Dominik has a relationship with Woods going back to their days together with the Buccaneers, who employed Woods as a defensive quality control coach from 2004-05.
“I think David Ojabo does fit,” Dominik said. “He can fit that absolutely and be comfortable, especially on what you're going to really want to do, which is third down is put him outside at end. So I think there's a role that Joe can put him in that's going to fit very well for what David does.
“I mean, you could put him at SAM [linebacker] and put him at the line of scrimmage and rush him on third down. You could put him at your left end or right end spot, and now you're making money. You got [defensive end] Chase Winovich also in this offseason [in a trade with the New England Patriots]. You'd feel pretty good about your overall group.”
Especially if Ojabo were to bounce back.
In the unlikely event the Browns trade up, Boilermakers star would make sense:George Karlaftis will be 'All-Pro guy,' Purdue's Jeff Brohm says
What NFL Draft picks do the Cleveland Browns have?
Afterthe blockbuster move forWatson, the Browns have the following seven selections in the2022 draft:
Second round, 44th overall
Third round, 78th overall
Third round, 99th overall
Fourth round,118th overall
Sixth round, 202nd overallfrom Dallas
Seventh round, 223rd overallfrom Detroit
Seventh round, 246th overallfrom Buffalo
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.
