Day-two option: Joseph Ossai, Texas
Joseph Ossai is a high effort edge rusher with plenty of upsides to warrant a high second round pick. He is originally from Nigeria but moved to the United States in 2009. He picked up a football in middle school and has been playing ever since.
Ossai has natural athleticism that allows him to beat offensive tackles without much hand usage or pass rush knowledge. He is long, fast, and strong, so he never had to really think about how he can outsmart a blocker. Currently, Ossai runs around and “out efforts” the opponent. When you’re looking for a developmental edge rusher, you should look for athleticism and effort, and Ossai has those two things in loads.
If the Bengals were to draft Ossai, it would most likely be with their second round pick, His year one projection will be him adjusting to the speed of the NFL while developing his pass rush plan and technique. This is not a bad thing. While it’s always nice to have immediate production, the developmental guys can sometimes make the biggest impacts down the road. In an edge class with no real top talent, most of the players require some amount of development anyways. Get Ossai with NFL coaches, let him grow into the player he can become, and enjoy watching him play on Sundays.