2016 Buccaneers’ Draft Profile: DE Victor Ochi

We look at a young player that may be available for the Buccaneers late in the draft, Victor Ochi out of Stony Brook.

As each day goes by, we inch closer and closer to the NFL draft.  The Buccaneers are preparing their board to improve on their 6-10 campaign, as they enter Jason Licht’s third draft as the man in charge.  We know that Dirk Koetter will be looking for some new blood to infuse this roster and keep the progress moving ahead.

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So far we have profiled the big names, like Joey Bosa, Jalen Ramsey, and Myles Jack.  But what about the lesser names?  Today we look at one of those, and one that Joe Kania of the team website believes is a player that will be of interest to the team late.  Today, we profile Victor Ochi of Stony Brook.

Let’s start with the statistics:

Definitely another player that is around the football.  Last season was a breakout for him, where he basically spent the year in the opponent’s backfield.  His career highs in TFL’s, sacks, and forced fumbles tell you all you need to know.

Now, let’s head to the combine:

MEASURABLES:

HEIGHT: 6’1″

WEIGHT: 246 pounds

ARM LENGTH: 33 3/4″

HANDS: 10 1/8″

In the drills, he posted a forty time of 4.86 seconds.  His vertical jump as 32 inches, and his broad jump was good for 119 inches.  Those jump numbers show an explosiveness, and the forty time isn’t bad.  Straight line speed is not indicative of an edge rusher’s in-game skill anyway.

The video is limited, as Ochi does come from a small school, but here is what I could find:

OK, we know the competition level is low, but he can only play against the guys on the field facing him.  So, we won’t factor that into the film evaluation.

There is a lot to like about Ochi, and it’s obvious why he is garnering attention from NFL scouts.  He can play standing up or with a hand in the dirt, which is the kind of versatility that coaches love.  He has an excellent twitch at the snap, leaving his opponent no chance to beat him to the punch.  He is fast off of the line too, being tackles around the edge on more than one occasion.

There are reasons why he is ranked low, and thought to be available on the last day.  He is not ready to be a three-down player.  He’s not big enough to be on the line, likely more suited to be a linebacker.  He also doesn’t drop into coverage, or at least we didn’t see it on the tape.  He doesn’t feel like a guy that can move well in space to pick up a running back or a tight end.

He also doesn’t have a wide array of pass rush moves.  Even on the tape, he got to the quarterback at least once because of a stunt rush.  When he gets met by his opponent, if he can’t overpower them, we don’t see a lot of counter moves, and rush techniques to ward them off.  The guys in the big time are bigger than the ones he faced, so some coaching at the next level will serve Ochi well.

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All of that being said, I would take a chance on this guy late in the draft.  Ochi could be a guy who, with some refinement, becomes a sleeper on the next level.