Odafe
Oweh.
Odafe
Oweh.
Penn State· 6'5"· 257 lb· 4.36s 40
"A zero-sack senior with a 9.99 RAS. Traits over production, in the purest form the exercise offers — a bet that NFL coaching turns pressures into finishes, and that a 4.36 at 257 pounds is the kind of profile you build a front around."Pre-draft read
This player lines up as a stand-up rusher, relying on speed to convert to power from the edge. His primary move is a long-arm bull rush generated by track-caliber acceleration at the snap. He consistently generates pressure but often struggles to complete the play with a sack.
He is most effective in a scheme that allows him to rush from various alignments, enabling him to exploit matchups. His play against the run is a positive, attributed to his length and consistent effort. His overall value would increase significantly with more developed hand technique, as his physical attributes are already at an elite NFL level.
Designed to excel in a wide-9 attacking front, Oweh's athleticism and power are best utilized in a scheme focused on disrupting the backfield.
Initially a designated pass rusher, he can develop into a starting every-down edge defender with improved technique.
A traditional 3-4 two-gap scheme where he is asked to consistently hold the point of attack and play heavy run defense, rather than attack.
Oweh presents a high-upside project whose elite athleticism and motor make him an immediate asset in an attacking defensive scheme.
Odafe Oweh — Penn State 2020 highlights
The zero-sack senior year: real pressure production, plus a preview of the length and speed that produced the 9.99 RAS.
Jayson Oweh — Combine testing
The 6-5, 257-lb, 4.36 profile that redrew his draft board and made him a lock for Round 1.
Odafe Oweh — Ravens career highlights
NFL rush reps: speed-to-power, cross-face counters, and the every-down starting role in Baltimore front.
This prospect represented the purest traits-based bet at the edge position in his class. Evaluators saw a raw stand-up rusher with exceptional speed-to-power ability, length, and bend, projecting him as a potential franchise-caliber edge defender once his pass-rush repertoire matured. His athletic profile, highlighted by a 4.36 forty-yard dash at 257 pounds, was among the most extreme in modern combine history.
Concerns emerged from his 2020 season tape, which showed a complete year without recording a single sack, despite demonstrating genuine pressure and disruptive plays against Big Ten linemen. His usage at Penn State featured reps dropping into coverage, showcasing his athletic versatility.
Scouts were divided, with some viewing the zero-sack season as statistical noise given his disruptive plays, while others considered it a significant warning sign regarding his finishing ability and undeveloped hand usage. Despite the debate, he was consistently projected as a first-round selection, with teams weighing the risk-reward of his high-upside athleticism against his raw technique.
- 01
Elite Athletic Profile
Ran a 4.36 forty-yard dash at 257 pounds, showcasing his exceptional speed and power combination.
- 02
First-Step Explosion
Demonstrates elite first-step explosion, frequently winning the arc with pure get-off against offensive tackles.
- 03
Versatile Coverage Ability
Showed versatility in coverage, executing reps dropping into hook and flat zones at Penn State.
- 04
Long-Limbed Frame
Possesses a long-limbed 6'5" frame, providing the physical foundation for a long-term edge presence.
- 05
High Motor Pursuit
Exhibits a high motor and closing burst, consistently pursuing plays sideline-to-sideline.
- 01
Zero 2020 Sacks
Recorded zero sacks in the 2020 season, struggling to convert pressures into finished plays.
- 02
Undeveloped Rush Plan
His pass-rush plan is overly reliant on speed and initial burst, lacking a developed bull rush or counter moves.
- 03
Limited Cornering Ability
High-cut frame and ankle stiffness limit his ability to tightly turn the corner, often running past the pocket.
- 04
High Pad Level
Plays too high in run defense and can be displaced from his spot at the point of attack by linemen.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.36sp50
- Vertical
- 39.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 134inp50
- Three-cone
- 6.83sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.21sp50
- Bench
- 21repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Penn State | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | Penn State | 13 | 21 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 2020 | Penn State | 7 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | — | 24 | 63 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Athletic edge/linebacker hybrid with real pressure value, useful run defense and sack totals that may trail the disruption.
Rare traits stand-up edge whose explosiveness and length could become a true pressure engine if the finishing and counters arrive.
Explosive rusher whose athletic gifts show up immediately, but whose lack of counters can make the impact streaky.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Selected 31st overall by the Baltimore Ravens, Odafe Oweh has developed into a versatile every-down edge rusher whose pressure rate consistently outpaces his sack totals. His rookie season produced 5 sacks and Pro Bowl alternate consideration, but the counting stats plateaued through 2023 as the finishing question that dogged him at Penn State persisted in the NFL. Baltimore picked up his fifth-year option in May 2024, betting on continued development, and Oweh remained a starter through the 2024 campaign. Entering 2025 he stands as a productive top-30 edge rather than the elite finisher the 9.99 RAS profile had suggested — a solid pick that has not fully cashed the traits ticket, without any Pro Bowl selections through his first four seasons.
The pick of Odafe Oweh at 31 was arguably the class's cleanest traits bet, and the organization was open about it. A 6'5", 257-pound edge running a verified 4.36 forty with a 9.99 Relative Athletic Score is a physical profile that essentially doesn't exist in modern draft history, and the team's pass-rush infrastructure — an exotic pressure package, veterans to shield him — was designed to weaponize exactly that kind of raw tool. The counter-argument was equally clear on tape: a Penn State senior year with zero sacks, pressures that never quite closed, and a hand plan that clearly needed years of development. The organization didn't blink at either objection.
Year 1 was more encouraging than the college sample line: five sacks as a rookie, quality run defense, and the recognizable outline of a starting NFL edge in a scheme that gave him freedom to move around. Years 2 and 3 were flatter — three sacks, then five — with the same underlying pressure rate but the same closing problem. Every season the film contained a small handful of reps that looked like a genuine star, and every season the box score refused to catch up to them. The team picked up his fifth-year option in the spring of 2024 and then watched his 2024 season stall out again, with the finishing issues never fully solved despite a supporting cast rebuilt around him.
The pick is difficult to sort. Oweh has become exactly what the pre-draft dossier promised on the physical side — an every-down starting edge whose raw pressure rate is legitimately good — and exactly what the tape camp feared on the production side: a rusher whose sack totals lag his talent, and whose finishing question hasn't been meaningfully closed after four seasons. The team has made peace with the profile because he does enough other things well; other teams looking at the same résumé would call it a modest hit for a Day 1 pick. In a class where multiple later edges have out-produced him (Rousseau at 30, several Day 2 names), Oweh is the reminder that a 9.99 RAS is a headline, not a promise.