Ifeadi Odenigbo   ER   Northwestern 

TALENT
ROUND
1

STRENGTHS
Ifeadi has remarkable natural strength to play the position of Defensive End in a 4/3 Defense. His power in his upper and lower body is unique and because of that natural power he is able to overpower and out leverage just about any size offensive tackle. He has decent foot speed and on passing downs his ability to get into the backfield and disrupt or sack a quarterback with very little effort is impressive. In fact it’s shocking to see how easily he can handle offensive lineman in a pass rushing situation even when being double teamed. Ifeadi gets the award for the defensive player with the most upside in this draft and because of that potential upside, you have to grade him higher and select him higher than you would normally select a player with his experience. The truth is Ifeadi is a little bit of an anomaly.

CONCERNS
Ifeadi was used mostly as a pass rush specialist and seems to struggle playing against the run. I’m not sure why he was used this way because every time he was on the field he impacted in getting into the back field. That being said, he still has a lot to learn that includes better pass rushing moves, how to better handle double teams and better hand usage and also better gap control responsibilities. He also has to learn how to be used in stunts and the timing of stunts. He has a lot to still learn, but his potential is obvious to me.

BOTTOM LINE
I haven’t got a clue why Ifeadi was taken off the field at all? He was used mostly in pass rushing situations as a defensive end in a 3/4 configuration and when he was on the field he impacted. When he did play on the outside in a 4/3… he impacted once again. His ability to impact rotating in and out of a game and not really using techniques that most players use was outstanding. I think he is a pure Defensive End in a 4/3 front but he has so much room to improve nothing would surprise me. Right now his best move is a power rush but he seems to have the athleticism to do a lot more. He has the potential to be as good as the Giants Jason Pierre Paul. Most teams will down grade Ifeadi because he is raw and needs time to improve but if I’m a playoff team in the later part of the first round I would find it very hard to pass on the potential this kid shows on the field. I suspect some team like the Giants in the second round will get lucky and select Ifeadi. The Giants seem to fall into this type of player year after year and that means their scouts without a doubt have their eye on him if, he gets to the second round. Ifeadi’s ability to impact with very little experience would be too much for me personally to pass on late in the first round, although I suspect most will think differently. All I can say to that is turn on the film and you will shake your head and wonder why Ifeadi wasn’t invited to the Senior Bowl or East/West Shrine game? He has been invited to the Combine and when he’s there I think teams will be shocked and see the potential for this kid to be something special.

Drew Boylhart  MAR.2017