NFL Draft 2017 Scouting Report: DT Larry Ogunjobi, Charlotte

*DL grades can and will change as more information comes in from Pro Day workouts, leaked Wonderlic test results, etc. We will update ratings as new info becomes available.

I don’t know if Larry Ogunjobi is going to be a star in the NFL or just very solid, or somewhere in-between…but I know he is not going to be a bust, and I'm not sure any DT prospect in this draft plays with a higher 'motor'.

Per the measurables, Ogunjobi is a legit NFL starter from a physical/athletic standpoint. I have no doubt that he's ready to play in the NFL. What separates him from the pack is his nose for the ball – he is nonstop effort. Only Tulane's DT prospect Tanzel Smart could boast of having better tackle numbers in 2016 and in their careers among this 2017 class of DT prospects…but Smart is also a little shorter, smaller, and slower than Ogunjobi. You get the nice 'on paper' scouting data with Ogunjobi, but he also brings it every play when you watch him on tape.

It's impressive to watch Ogunjobi in action because guys like him are still stunning to me – I'm still not used to this new breed of 300-pound guys that are so nimble and fleet of foot. Ogunjobi has a nice first step trying to beat blockers into the backfield, but he also moves side to side so well that it makes him a great run-stopper because he can cover so much ground in his area. He adeptly throws off a blocker and moves to a ballcarrier who's trying to sneak through a hole on Ogunjobi's side of the line. When the play is not right at him, Ogunjobi does not stand around and look – he is almost always moving towards the play. He's a joy to watch.

An NFL team is making a safe pick here. Ogunjobi has NFL-starter physical tools and gives great effort, plus he is no dummy – a double major in computer science and biology, and an honor roll student with all that. He's a really nice prospect and good human. He'll make a solid pro.

Larry Ogunjobi, Through the Lens of Our DT Scouting Algorithm:

Ogunjobi had four games with 8 or more tackles in a game last season. Top DT prospects Jonathan Allen and Malik McDowell each did so just once in 2016.

Ogunjobi had seven career games with 7 or more tackles. Top DT prospects Jonathan Allen and Malik McDowell each did so only twice in their careers.

Ogunjobi is one of four 300+ pound DL prospects at the NFL Combine that ran a sub-5.00 40-time (4.97).

Ogunjobi ran the fastest three-cone time at the NFL Combine among the 300+ pound DL prospects.

NFL Combine data…

6′2.5″/305, 32.6″ arms, 10′0″ hands

4.97 40-time, 1.77 10-yard, 4.75 shuttle, 7.55 three-cone

26 bench reps, 32.0″ vertical, 9′8″ broad jump

Ogunjobi's stats on CFB Reference: http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/larry-ogunjobi-1.html

The Historical DT Prospects to Whom Larry Ogunjobi Most Compares Within Our System:

Really good NFL DTs Corey Liuget and Jurrell Casey make a ton of sense as the Ogunjobi comps. Not household names, but respected and coveted.

*A score of 8.00+ is where we see a stronger correlation of DTs going on to become NFL good/great/elite. A score of 10.00+ is more rarefied air in our system, and indicates a greater probability of becoming an NFL elite DT.

All of the DT ratings are based on a 0–10 scale, but a player can score negative, or above a 10.0 in certain instances.

Power-Strength Metrics = A combination of several measurements. An attempt to classify the DT prospect as more of a battle-in-the-trenches type of DT, and/or a DT prospect who has nose tackle capabilities.

Speed-Agility Metrics = A combination of several speed, agility, size measurements. A unique measuring system to look for DTs who profile for quickness, and/or a DT prospect who might have some DE capabilities.

Pass-Rusher Rating = A combination of physical measurables, and college performance, graded historically for future NFL profiling. In the simplest of terms, this is an attempt to classify whether a particular DT is likely to achieve high sack totals in the NFL. We know the ‘system’/scheme the DT goes on to play in has a part in future success...but so do the player’s skills and performance history.

Tackling Rating = A combination of physical measurables, and college performance, graded historically for future NFL profiling. In the simplest of terms, this is an attempt to classify the DT as one more likely to be involved in a heavy amount of tackles, tackles for a loss, and forced fumbles. Lower scoring DTs in this sub-category tend to be more pure ‘pluggers’, and not as active on the stat sheet. It also gives some insight of the ‘toughness’ of a player, if it is possible to quantify that (this is our attempt to).

NT Profile = This is an attempt to show which of these DT prospects has a profile to become a pure nose tackle/‘space-eater’ in the middle. It is not a 1–10 scale rating of a prospect’s skill/profile, it’s an attempt to point us in a direction of what this DT can be useful as (or not). Some DT prospects will grade off the charts on the NT profile, essentially a worst-case scenario of “put him in the middle and just let him be a wall.” There is NFL value in that ‘ability’.

2017 NFL Draft Outlook:

You see Ogunjobi bouncing around as a late second or third round draft projection. I think he will wind up in the second round because he is such a talent with no real downside/red flags.

NFL Outlook:   

He is going to be very good and respected or, worst case, just very useful for his team.

4/22/2017