Photo Courtesy: Dallas Cowboys
FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys’ third-round draft pick Osa Odighizuwa dominated in the 2021 Senior Bowl against some of the country’s best players and thus far in his pro career, he has continued to effortlessly find the football with tenacity in the trenches.
A mentality that differentiates him from the rest. Odighizuwa’s defensive line coach at UCLA in 2020, Johnny Nansen, described his rare drive.
“I had one season to work with him and that was the first thing that stood out to me-his motor, his want to: be an impact player,” Nansen remarked to D210SPORTS. “He knows how to get around the football and make plays. He was very productive for us when he played here [UCLA], but you are getting a kid that is really self-motivated. That’s the hardest thing to coach is that right there: the motor. Sometimes you have to motivate kids, but Osa you do not have to do that. Everything is full speed ahead.”
Odighizuwa was a three-year starter at UCLA and an unquestioned leader on the defense. For the Bruins, Odighizuwa notched more tackles for loss (27.5) than games started (27). Following a successful four-sack campaign in 2020, he earned first-team All-Pac 12. As an undefeated three-time state champion wrestler at David Douglas High School in Portland, Oregon, that background translated into his leverage, pressure and balance on the football field. Odighizuwa’s power from the interior and first-step quickness is lethal.
He predominately played as a nose tackle in defensive coordinator Jerry Azzinaro’s 3-4 base scheme at UCLA but transitioned in 2020. Both assistants, Nansen and defensive backs coach/passing game coordinator Brian Norwood, installed a four-man front last season in base and nickel. They were brought in to bolster the unit and as a redshirt senior, Odighizuwa thrived in the new scheme amidst the shortened schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During OTA’s, Cowboys’ defensive coordinator Dan Quinn confirmed to local media that Odighizuwa will be used in the interior in nickel packages. The team will operate out of a four-man front in those instances, 60-70% of the time with the league becoming more pass-oriented utilizing 10 and 11 personnel. He will be featured in passing roles with his speed in a one-gap system. With long arms (34 inches) and quickness to attack in the backfield and separate from blocks, his athleticism makes up for his lack in size (282 pounds) compared to a prototypical defensive tackle in the NFL.
“I knew Dan when he was with the Seahawks and I was with Washington, so I knew when he got drafted, I knew that would fit Osa better because that’s what we moved to last year here,” Nansen stated to D210SPORTS. “I utilized him that way, the way Dan is talking about it. In the third down stuff, I tried to match him up against whatever weakness in the opponent’s offensive lineman…In a 4-3, you can get away with size. More quickness and power and I think that is what Osa has. He is not your ideal 6’5, 6’6 that you are getting when you play a 3-4, you are getting more of a one-gap guy that can slip and make plays.”
“I said from the beginning when we moved to a 4-3, I said ‘hey, I think we are running a system that is going to benefit this kid.’ It obviously showed and the reason why he got drafted in the third round is because he was in more of that attack style instead of reacting.”
Odighizuwa is entering a system that is tailored to fit his strengths. Whether it is bullying a ball carrier downhill or getting his long arms into passing lanes to disrupt the quarterback’s progression, he does not take plays off. Not only are the Cowboys getting a highly productive player with limitless potential but a high-character player. The mental preparation and commitment to the game sets him apart.
“He was always early, the first one in the facility and the last one to leave,” Nansen remarked. “This kid is really serious about being great. It did not surprise me when he got drafted in the third. I said he should have gone higher because like I always tell everybody, ‘When you get one of those guys that you don’t have to worry about all the things that come with being a football player, you are getting a quality human being that is going to represent an organization in the way it should be.’”
The 22-year-old will likely enter Week 1 as a rotational player, but he certainly possesses the capability of earning a starting role in the interior of the Cowboys’ D-Line. He has the chance to make a significant difference on Quinn’s defense and will join the depth at tackle, featuring Trysten Hill, Neville Gallimore, and sixth-round draft pick Quinton Bohanna. Bohanna is the stereotypical big-bodied one-technique with the others predominately three-techniques.
Odighizuwa is one of the players from this year’s draft class that has “impressed” Quinn and he will be one to watch throughout training camp. On the rookie hitting the turf for the first time donning a Star, there is no better summarization than his former coach’s words to evoke excitement.
“I’m proud of what he has become and what he is going to be because of the person he is…
Getting a hell of a player. His best football is in front of him.”
