Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft profile: Defensive End Ogbonnia Okonronkwo

NORMAN, OK – NOVEMBER 25: Defensive end Ogbonnia Okoronkwo #31 of the Oklahoma Sooners lines up before a play against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on November 25, 2017 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated West Virginia 59-31. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)

The next prospect we will be looking at for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is the first potential day two selection: Oklahoma defensive end Ogbonnia Okoronkwo.

The draft is now a month away and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to fill out their roster. Today’s player we will be looking at likely isn’t the selection on day one pick but could be a selection on day two. With the addition of Jason Pierre-Paul, the Buccaneers desperate need of defensive end help is pushed back but it is the most important position on defense.

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, while having a very difficult name to pronounce, was a stand out player at Oklahoma. Nicknamed Obo, he played both defensive end and outside linebacker admirably in his junior and senior seasons. Let’s take a look at the son of Nigerian immigrants career and if he would be a good fit for the Bucs.

Ogbonnia’s Collegiate Career

Standing at 6’1″ Obo would be one of the shorter defensive ends on the roster but he would be one of the most athletic. Recording a 4.77 40-yard dash time and finished in the top six for edge rushers in the vertical, broad jump, and bench press.

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During his time at Oklahoma, he only appeared in nine games in his first two seasons but finished strong with 26 games played in his junior and senior seasons. His career stat line includes 162 tackles, 20 sacks, 33 tackles for loss, and 5 forced fumbles, with 90% of the stats coming in the last two years.

Obo earned a second-team All-Big 12 selection as a junior and shared the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award with Texas linebacker Malik Jefferson his senior season.  He was also named second-team All-American by the Associated Press for his senior season.

Pros

Obo has experience at both linebacker and defensive end. The versatility the Buccaneers could use in different defensive packages. His numbers were nearly identical at either position but were destined to be a pass rusher. His combine proved that he has athleticism needed to be a starting caliber end in the NFL. He’s got a variety of moves to help get him to the quarterback.

The Buccaneers need to help their secondary with as many pass rushers as possible and Obo’s best ability is getting after the passer. He has developed nicely over his career in college and under the right tutelage he can be a nice addition to any teams pass rush defense.

Cons

While he does have the athletic abilities of a defensive end he is currently undersized to be a full-time defensive end. Demar Dotson has eight inches on him and could eliminate him from plays without needing assistance. The NFL has the best of the best offensive linemen and there is a pretty significant gap between them and the Big 12.

While he was an excellent pass rusher he has to improve his techniques and consistency to take the next step. Also while he could play 4-3 defensive end or 3-4 outside linebacker he’s really stuck in between both skills but not better at one than the other. This can be fixed with proper training by the line coached. If Brentson Bucker is as good as they say, maybe he could bulk up Obo and create a solid rotation on the line.

Why The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Need Ogbonnia Okoronkwo

The Buccaneers need pass rushers, Obo is a pass rusher. While there are bigger needs after the addition of the JPP they could still use as many as they can get. The top pass rusher in the draft Bradley Chubb, who will be discussed later, should certainly be considered if he is available at seven, but the Bucs could go in a variety of directions with the pick and get the added depth later.

The more I look into Obo the more I like him but as a third-round pick, which they would have to trade for. The Buccaneers have two glaring needs on offense and defense and those could be solved early in this draft, in running back and secondary.

Obo would add a very nice rotational pass rush piece to add with Jason Pierre-Paul, Noah Spence, and Gerald McCoy. They could utilize different blitz packages and actually might be able to get to the quarterback this year.

Will It Happen?

If the Bucs had a third-round pick this year I would feel better about it happening but with only two picks in the top 100 picks, I don’t think he will be one of the two. The Buccaneers are in a good position where they could move down and pick up some extra selections, which would make this pick a possibility. However, for now, the Bucs are picking at seven and 38 and should go corner/safety then running back if the draft winds up like all the projections are currently falling.

Next: Joe Hawley Joins The Podcast

We shall see over the next month any additional moves the Bucs make and what happens on draft day. Stay with us every day as we give you more prospects to watch on The Pewter Plank.