*Walt taking 2014 and 2018 |
Charlie Campbell, Senior Draft Analyst |
Teams See Ossai in a 3-4
Updated Nov. 6, 2020By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.
Last Saturday, Texas Longhorns edge defender Joseph Ossai put on one of the best and most dominant defensive performances of the season. The junior has been playing well this year, but he came through with an incredible game to lead Texas to an upset overtime win at Oklahoma State. Ossai was all over the field, recording a dozen tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. It was a great tape from Ossai that will really help his draft stock. Team sources told WalterFootball.com they see some limitations with Ossai, however, and believe he is really only a fit for a 3-4 defense in the NFL.
Texas lists Ossai at 6-foot-4, 253 pounds, but often programs inflate those numbers. If he is shorter or lighter or both, that would hurt his ability to play on the edge in the NFL and take on pro offensive tackles. Even if those numbers are accurate, that is undersized to be a base end in an NFL defense.
“[Ossai is] a 3-4 all the way,” said one director of college scouting of a 4-3 team that could use a young edge rusher. However, opinions vary, and other teams could see Ossai as a fit in a 4-3. In 2020, Ossai has 45 tackles with four sacks, three forced fumbles, and two passes defended. He is off to an excellent start this saeson and should be a riser if he maintains this level of play. Doing that could lead to 4-3 teams getting creative with projecting how he might fit a variety of schemes.
