Like a lot of players, Charles Omenihu got better when he was coached by former 49ers defensive coordinator and new Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans. Omenihu, selected in the fifth round of the 2019 draft out of Texas, was a decent rotational pass-rusher for the Texans for 2 1/2 seasons. But when the 49ers traded for him in November, 2021, the light went on. Now, Omenihu will ply his trade with the Chiefs in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, which seems to be an ideal fit.
Last season, the 6-foot-5, 280 pound Omenihu had seven sacks, 12 quarterback hits, and 43 quarterback hurries in just 475 pass-rushing snaps. He’s more of a multi-gap pass-rusher than a run defender, and that’s fine, because he’s become quite good at the whole pass-rushing thing from all over the place. Spagnuolo loves to bring chaos with his fronts, so he’ll have fun with Omenihu.
His two sacks against the Seahawks in the wild-card round of the 2022 playoffs certainly prove that point. The first came with 2:31 left in the third quarter. Omenihu was aligned to the center’s left shoulder in a nose shade look, and at the snap, he rushed all the way around the right tackle to take the ball out of Geno Smith’s hand.
Then, with 2:27 left in the game, Omenihu zapped right tackle Abe Lucas with a wicked inside move from an edge alignment, and that was that.
Omenihu was booked on misdemeanor domestic violence charges in January, and we’ll have to see what the full story is over time. That’s the minus in the “A” grade. On the field, Omenihu gives the Chiefs a fine pass-rusher on a steal of a deal.
