2021 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Texas Linebacker Joseph Ossai
University of Texas linebacker Joseph Ossai has one of the more fascinating backstories of anyone in the 2021 NFL Draft. He was born in Nigeria, and moved to Texas while he was in elementary school. Having spent his teenage and formative years in a state which has become a football factory, Ossai is ready to take his game to the next level.
Let’s take a closer look at what Ossai brings to the table.
2021 NFL Draft Prospect Joseph Ossai’s Profile
--Height: 6’4”
--Weight: 253 pounds
--Position: Linebacker
--School: Texas
2021 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Joseph Ossai’s Strengths
Ossai is the type of player who deals out bone-crunching hits when he makes contact. He’s going to be a force when it comes to putting pressure on the quarterback at the next level. Even if he doesn’t bring the quarterback down himself, his activity and level of disruption can give other teammates opportunities to finish the play.
Ossai is the type of player that teams will have to identify at the line of scrimmage, and account for before he can wreck a game.
One of Ossai’s biggest strengths is also his versatility when it comes to rushing the quarterback. He’s just as effective getting into the backfield while positioned at the line of scrimmage, as he is in bringing the heat from a few yards behind the line of scrimmage. That level of efficiency will give defensive coaches a lot of options when it comes to designing exotic defenses for third and long situations.
2021 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Joseph Ossai’s Weaknesses
As promising as Ossai is as a pass rusher, he’s still very much a work in progress at the outside linebacker/edge position. When he gets into the NFL, he’ll not only have to learn the speed of the professional game, but he also has to understand how to play the position teams have in mind for him.
Ossai could be an intriguing player in the front seven, but could also be exposed in other areas of the game. For example, if he’s lined up at the edge of the formation, he might be forced to cover an athletic tight end, or follow a slot receiver for a few steps before his teammates can provide help. Ossai is not great at pass defense at this stage of his development, so he might strictly be used as a down lineman early on in his NFL career.
2021 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Joseph Ossai’s Career At Texas
Ossai was basically a part-time player during his freshman season with the Longhorns, as he did not record many statistics that jumped off the page. However, in his sophomore and junior seasons in Austin, Ossai took off as a defender who could destroy offensive game plans.
He had 13.5 tackles for losses in 2019, and that number increased to 15.5 in 2020, even though he played in 4 fewer games. The 21-year-old's impact when he was on the field could not be denied.
Ossai’s durability should not be a major red flag as he enters the professional ranks, but it should still be noted that he suffered a shoulder injury in the 2020 season. He played with a harness for part of the year, but it is not believed to be a long-term concern for the Texas prospect.
2021 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Joseph Ossai’s Career Defensive Stats
--Combined Tackles: 165
--Tackles For Loss: 30
--Sacks: 11.5