Michigan Football’s David Ojabo will be worth risk in 2022 NFL draft

There’s no doubt that an Achilles injury hurt the stock of Michigan football’s David Ojabo but here’s why NFL teams shouldn’t be worried about drafting him. 

Before David Ojabo suffered a freak injury during Michigan football’s pro day, he was being projected as a top-15 or even a top-10 pick.

That’s how much natural ability Ojabo has to work with, and the potential, well his potential as an NFL pass-rusher is off the charts.

Sure, he’s got a lot of work to do. As ESPN’s Todd McShay points out, Ojabo has to become a better run defender and be more consistent.

Last season, was really his first full season of playing for Michigan football and he wasn’t even a starter. But he was a dominating pass rusher and finished with 11 sacks, and 12 tackles for loss.

And as the season went on, he continued to get better and better. People talk about Aidan Hutchinson in the Ohio State game and he was tremendous, but Ojabo was also huge in that game and had the game-clinching sack on CJ Stroud that I’ll never forget.

That’s when I knew it was over.

What NFL teams would be getting in Ojabo

The 6-foot-5, 250-pounder had a knack for making big plays, in big moments — Penn State, Iowa, Rutgers — there were a number of games where he made a game-changing play and some came right at the end to seal a win.

His athletic profile is off the charts and while he might miss all of next season with his torn Achilles, NFL teams should still consider him late in the first round.

Todd McShay pointed out one reason, which is the fifth-year option. Outside of quarterbacks and probably wide receivers, pass rushers are probably the highest-paid position in professional football, and getting Ojabo’s right for five years doesn’t sound like a bad idea.

"“But then you look at the upside and say, ‘alright, we’re gonna draft him late in the first or somewhere in the second.’ I think it’s more likely he goes in the second just so you know, but it wouldn’t shock me if a team took him late in the first simply because you get that fifth-year option and you’re trying to get four years of value out of him knowing that you’re probably not gonna get a lot, if anything, out of him as a rookie.”"

Consider when the Packers drafted Rashan Gary 12th overall, he was raw and after playing defensive line at Michigan, he did need time to transition solely to outside linebacker.

His season in Green Bay was pretty quiet. He had a couple of sacks but was the No. 3 pass rusher. It wasn’t a redshirt year but that season set the stage for breakout campaigns in 2021 and 2022.

Now, entering his fourth season, Gary is viewed as an elite edge rusher and while he’s under contract for two more seasons, the Packers will have to open their wallets soon to keep him.

The truth is that Ojabo was going to need a season to hone his ability anyway and develop. It’s possible, if healthy, he would make a splash next year, but more likely, it was always going to take a season or two for the light to come on for Ojabo, just as it did Gary.

But when it does, and when he’s fully healthy, watch out. He’s a top-10 talent and some lucky NFL team is going to get him at the end of the first round or early in the second because even with the injury, the upside will be too good to pass up.