The Tennessee Titans inked a slew of undrafted free agents after the 2023 NFL draft, and Boise State product and offensive tackle John Ojukwu was among them.
Ojukwu is an interesting prospect, as there were some experts out there who thought the 6-foot-6, 309-pound lineman should’ve been drafted, as you’ll soon see in our scouting report roundup.
The rookie will look to latch on to a Titans team that needs more options at backup tackle, giving him an avenue to make the cut.
As things stand now, Jamarco Jones figures to be the first player off the bench at tackle, but that job is very much up for grabs.
Along with Ojukwu, players like John Leglue, Andrew Rupcich, Jaelyn Duncan and Dillon Radunz (when healthy) will also be vying for the job.
In order to get more information on Ojukwu, we rounded up a bunch of scouting reports to see what experts had to say about the rookie.
Dane Brugler, The Athletic
STRENGTHS: Checks all the size boxes with his height, arm length and wingspan … shuffles his feet to maintain his posture as a positional blocker … gets out in space or reaches the second level in a hurry … efficiently targets his landmarks and has an understanding of pass-set depth … relies on his body strength and physical hands to create movement in the run game … named a team captain in 2022 … described as a “relentless worker and competitor” by his teammates and is “wired in a way that separates himself,” according to Boise State head coach Andy Avalos … logged 51 starts over his career with experience at both left and right tackle.
WEAKNESSES: Plays tall with inconsistent lower-body bend … susceptible to balance breakdowns when attempting to make quick adjustments … predictable in his approach and needs to mix up his steps/punch … savvy pass rushers take advantage of his irregular hand placement … his anchor will have a tough time answering speed-to-power moves in the NFL … plays with range, but his technique deteriorates the farther he travels … already 24 years old … offers plenty of on-field
experience, but didn’t play guard in college.SUMMARY: A five-year starter at Boise State, Ojukwu was a mainstay at left tackle in former offensive coordinator Tim Plough’s up-tempo RPO scheme. He closed out his run at Boise with 43 straight starts and posted triple zeroes as a super senior in 2022 (zero sacks allowed, zero false starts, zero holding penalties). Ojukwu reaches his landmarks in pass protection and patiently extends his arms to meet rushers, but his aiming points must become more consistently accurate. He plays with the competitive edge to seal run lanes and create movement on drive blocks. Overall, Ojukwu’s tape shows a workable frame, athletic movements and spurts of strength, but improved balance and body control will be crucial for him to carve out an NFL career. His best long-term position might be inside as a zoneblocking guard.
GRADE: 6th Round
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
OverviewCollege tackle with the build and skill set that would make him a better fit at guard in the NFL. Ojukwu has played a tremendous amount of college football and has a solid understanding of fundamentals. He uses big hands and long arms to jar and displace opponents at the point of attack, but it can break down quickly for him when he’s forced to operate in space as a run blocker or in pass protection. Ojukwu’s athletic limitations are balanced out by his size and power. He should compete for a roster spot as a late Day 3 selection.
Strengths
Made 51 career starts at Boise State.
Tremendous personal character and coachability.
Excellent blend of size, length and strength.
Power in upper body to displace opponents.
Fits up run blocks and drives from in-steps with wide base.
Better inside hands will instantly improve protection consistency.
Size to squeeze down and block off A- or B-gap when needed.
Weaknesses
Limited short-area athleticism to make adjustments.
Susceptible to slants and inside counters.
Struggles to stay low when making blocks in space.
Loses to opponent’s first hands.
Below-average lateral slide quickness to protect his edge.
Speed-to-power rushers back him into the pocket.
Damian Parson, The Draft Network
Ojukwu run blocks with a physical and competitive temperament. He likes to drive defenders off the ball and into the dirt if possible. His trigger on run plays is quick and aggressive. Ojukwu has a surprising burst at the snap to make contact in the run game. He plays with good strength at the point of attack. His lateral movement in the run game is noteworthy. I like the athelticism shown on pulling plays into space as the lead blocker.
His arm length and frame combination shows up in pass protection. He does a good job throwing punches with full usage of his arm length. Ojukwu plays uses his burst to get out of the stance and square up opposing rushers. For a bigger player, his feet are nimble enough to mirror rushers once they have committed to their desired path. He has solid ability to pass off twists and stunts. He typically uses short sets to immediately cut off the rusher’s forward progress and momentum.
There is a lack of consistency with Ojukwu’s footwork and base. Some moments, they are on task. Other times, they are scattered. There are too many reps of Ojukwu struggling to absorb speed to power and anchoring. He is driven back into the lap of the quarterback too often. Due to his height and stature, he suffers from being naturally out-leveraged by shorter defenders—they are able to get under his shoulder pads and uproot him as he is retreating in pass sets. Ojukwu tends to be top-heavy and is leaning over his feet from the waist, leading to being susceptible to violent push/pull techniques and rip through combinations. As a puller, Ojukwu is functional athletically to get out in front of the ball carrier but struggles to make impactful contact with defenders in space. He misses and whiffs on his share of blocks trying to hunt down DBs especially.
Ojukwu has played a lot of football during his extensive career at Boise State. I believe his ceiling is capped as a result. Physically, there is not much to improve on. Everything else is mental and technical. I project Ojukwu more as a backup/swing right tackle. Of course, he can play on the left side too. I do not see a starter in his game or on tape.
Top Reasons to Buy In:
- Prototypical height and weight
- Experience (3,500+ snaps)
- Get-off/burst
Top Reasons For Concern:
- Natural leverage
- Anchor
- Ceiling/upside
TDN Consensus Grade: 71.00/100 (Fifth-Round Value)
Tony Pauline, Pro Football Network
Strengths: Tall, hard-working college left tackle who projects to the strong side on Sundays. Patient in pass protection, keeps his feet moving, and makes great use of angles. Displays outstanding awareness, keeps his head on a swivel, and blocks with a nasty attitude. Fights with his hands throughout the action, turns defenders off the line, and works to finish run blocks. Large enough and tough enough to block down on opponents.
Weaknesses: Doesn’t sink his butt at the line of scrimmage and gets tall as the play proceeds. Displays little flexibility. Struggles blocking in motion and isn’t effective far from the line of scrimmage. Must improve his playing balance.
Overall: Ojukwu was a durable lineman for Boise State, starting 51 games over the past five years. He possesses size and growth potential but really needs to improve his fundamentals to have any chance of making an NFL roster.
Brandon Thorn, Bleacher Report
POSITIVES
— Alert and active demeanor with good competitive toughness
— Has snap in his hands to jolt and displace defenders on contact
— Works to create lift in his anchor to dissipate the bull-rush
— Clear eyes to diagnose, pass off and pick up basic line games and stunts
— Uses an effective “gallop” technique on double-teams to initiate contact, bump and feed defensive tackles
— Long arms and big hands form a large radius to connect on targets while on the move
— Proven durability and experience at both tackle spots with renowned leadership ability
NEGATIVES
— Poor redirect and change-of-direction skills
— Tall, narrow frame and upright playing style with marginal core strength
— Easily manipulated out of position by stutters, hesitations and tempo from skilled rushers
— Lacks the range to protect the edge at tackle without substantial schematic and/or alignment help
The NFL Draft Bible, Sports Illustrated
Evaluation:
The best trait Ojukwu possesses is his length. It allows him to ride defenders up the arc and prevent them from getting to the quarterback. He has adequate foot speed that allows him to mirror lesser rushers. That foot speed shows up in the run game, as Ojukwu was an effective zone blocker. He does a good enough job of getting to his landmark and using his length to push defenders out of the play. He gets into trouble as a run blocker when he plays high and with his head too far forward. Ojukwu does a good job of getting to the second level but he struggles to redirect his body and bend low enough to stay in front of linebackers. More often than not, linebackers were able to avoid his block. Ojukwu just lacks power, so he proved ineffective on combo blocks. His below average power and grip strength, made it difficult for Ojukwu to sustain blocks. Defenders were able to easily disengage from his blocks in the run game. In pass protection, Ojukwu is susceptible to a bull rush, as his core strength is worrisome. Power rushers will be able to win with bullrushes consistently against Ojukwu at the next level. Being a waist bender, Ojukwu is able to survive with having quick feet in the Mountain West but NFL pass rushers will be able to dip under him. His lack of power and inability to bend will make it difficult for Ojuwku to make the transition inside. Overall, Ojukwu has enough size, length and experience to be brought into a training camp but he doesn’t offer position versatility and didn’t do enough on tape to make him worthy of a roster spot.
