2023 NFL Draft Profile: Boise State OT John Ojukwu
The Broncos tackle brings about as much experience to the NFL Draft as anyone out there.
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A model of stability hopes to do more of the same in the pros.
The Boise State Broncos have a few prospects with hopes of hearing their name called in this year’s NFL Draft, but none have been at it longer than offensive lineman John Ojukwu.
A Boise native, Ojukwu chose to stay home as a three-star recruit in the Broncos’ 2017 class. Following a redshirt year, he became a mainstay in the offense with seven starts the next year, the first among 51 overall in which he was twice named a first-team all-Mountain West performer.
Now that his decorated career on the blue turf is in the books, he’ll hope to stand out in NFL war rooms among a strong class of offensive tackles.
Measurables (taken from Mockdraftable)
Highlights
Strengths
Physically speaking, Ojukwu has the makings of a starter kit for a NFL-caliber offensive lineman. While the spider graph above slots him in at roughly average height and build among tackles, note the hand size and shuttle time. Those have long made him an asset in run blocking and, as The Athletic’s Dane Brugler notes, enables him to make hay as a pull blocker.
Ojukwu also gets high marks for his work ethic, the product of which could not be more obvious than by observing his year-over-year growth: According to Pro Football Focus, he played over 500 snaps in his first full season back in 2018 and then improved his overall grade every single season he played on the blue, topping out at 75.0 last year.
Weaknesses
The flipside of having started 51 games at Boise State is that Ojukwu is one of the older offensive tackle prospects in this year’s draft class. NFL front offices may think he’s closer to his ultimate ceiling as a result and, fairly or not, hold that against him when compared to younger options. That worry could be compounded if he isn’t able to improve footwork which is described as “heavy-footed”, “inconsistent”, and susceptible to speed rushers forcing him backwards by various analysts.
Some of those same draft analysts aren’t certain that Ojukwu will be able to stay at tackle in the NFL, as well. The Draft Network’s Damian Parson, Pro Football Network’s Tommy Garrett, and NFL Draft Buzz all project him as a right tackle despite his experience on the left, while others like Brugler are more firm in their belief that Ojukwu will have to kick inside to guard to have staying power.
NFL Comparison
Taylor Moton
Draft Prediction
Ojukwu may not have the ceiling of past Broncos offensive linemen like Nate Potter and Ezra Cleveland, but it’s probably safe to say he has a pretty high floor as a prospect. Even if he starts his professional career as a depth piece, blockers with the right kind of body and a need to improve are always in demand. Expect that he’ll hear his name called on Day Three, sometime in the sixth round.
