One of my favorite things to do every off-season is to compare my post-draft notes on the Eagles’ rookies and then analyze how they performed when they got a chance. I won’t write a full scouting report because I always do that after they are drafted. You can find Moro Ojomo’s scouting report here. If you want to know why I was high on Ojomo pre-draft, I recommend you check out the article there or the film thread here.
Stats
Moro Ojomo only played 68 snaps, so there’s not much to add here. He ended up with a 67.9 PFF grade but ranked better as a run defender (70) than a pass rusher (57.5).
Overall
Listen, when you’ve been scouting the NFL Draft for nearly 10 years, you get a lot of players wrong. So when you love the film of a 7th-round pick, and he looks promising in his rookie season, you must remind everyone about it. Let’s look at what I said about him pre-draft and film from this past year.
When I get to breaking down the Day 3 picks, it can sometimes get harder to find the motivation to write about them. I’m just being honest. But after I started watching Moro Ojomo, I couldn’t stop. I watched him a lot. I kept trying to find obvious holes in his game and to figure out what I am missing with him. Watching Ojomo reminded me of watching Jalen Mills’ film after the Eagles selected him in the 7th round of the 2016 NFL Draft. It was just obvious he was better than a 7th round pick, and it felt the same watching Ojomo.
Ojomo is really fun to watch. I can’t believe he fell to the 7th round and had I watched him pre-draft, I probably would have had a 4th-round grade on him. Ojomo didn’t play much last year, but even making the roster and playing a little bit for a 7th-round rookie should be viewed as a success. Ojomo didn’t just play, though; he played well! Ojomo has a quick get-off and good arm length, making him a disruptive run defender. He’s good at getting off blocks and played with good gap discipline.
This is an outstanding rep where he protects his A gap but still manages to get back to the B gap and help out Nicholas Morrow. This is really good stuff. You will hear Fangio guys talk about the defensive line playing ‘gap and a half’ technique in run defense. This rep is a perfect example of this. Which is awesome to see. Another positive… Ojomo actually looked decent against the run in limited time. This is an insane statement to make, but hear me out, the Eagles may want to consider playing him a bit more over Cox/Carter on early downs right now.
Some NFL teams want bigger 3 techniques and whilst Ojomo’s anchor held up in college at his size, I imagine that NFL teams are not certain his anchor will hold up at the next level. As you can see from above, there were concerns about how his anchor would look at the next level. In limited snaps, Ojomo also showed the ability to anchor against double teams. It was only preseason, but he put some solid film out there.
Even in the preseason, you can see traits, and it is evident that Ojomo has some really good traits. Now let’s get to the fun stuff…Ojomo was fantastic. For a 7th round rookie, he clearly stood out. He was so aggressive against the run. Ojomo defeating another double team again He’s going to be useful at defending the run, without a doubt. In terms of why he fell, I can only assume it’s the lack of pass-rushing production combined with the size. Although I really liked his film, at this point he is essentially a slightly undersized defensive tackle who isn’t a great pass rusher. Ojomo has a lot to do before I can say that he can rush the pass, but we saw some flashes last year where he beat the offensive linemen for quickness and showed excellent hand usage.
Ojomo played only a limited amount, but he looked exactly like he did in college. He was a good player in college, and I still have no idea how he fell to the 7th round. I watched his film closely this past year and was excited by what I saw.
The Future
This was my summary of what to expect from Ojomo from last year’s article. Despite raving about him, he is a 7th-round pick on a loaded defensive line so isn’t even a lock to make the roster. I think there is a player there though and I hope he makes it, or at least makes it onto the practice squad for a year. I imagine the 6th defensive tackle spot is between Ojomo, Marlon Tuipulotu, and Kentavius Street. If he does make the roster, I wouldn’t expect much in year one, but I think he can become a good early down option as one of the 4i’s in the Eagles’ 5-man front. For a 7th round pick, he feels like a steal. I expect him to make the roster this year and should be the Eagles’ DT4 this year. At this point in his career, Ojomo is still more of an early-down player, but his run defense stands out.
Outside of Jordan Davis, he is probably the best at using the ‘gap and a half technique’ in run defense I spoke about earlier, as Jalen Carter and Milton Williams are more explosive and want to get up the field. Ojomo will not get many opportunities to rush the quarterback because he isn’t as explosive or athletic as Carter and Williams. However, while those two defenders may make more highlight reel plays, it is incredibly important that the Eagles’ defense can stop the run on early downs while playing two-high safeties. We have seen this be a big issue with Fangio-style defenses in the past. He might not get a lot of snaps or opportunities to rush the quarterback, but I think Ojomo has an important role this year in stopping the run-on early downs. Personally, I can’t wait to watch him again, and I hope he can build on his impressive rookie campaign.
If you want even more analysis on the Eagles’ rookies, I have spoken about a few on my podcast over at Eagles Pin-Pull Network, which you can find here. Please feel free to listen!
