2021 NFL Draft: Jayson Oweh flying up draft boards?

Now less than two weeks out from the 2021 NFL Draft, the rumors are heating up about risers and fallers. Now, there is a ton of juice behind Penn State pass rusher Jayson Oweh as he is apparently soaring up draft boards despite a ton of experience. He is seen in the same light as Danielle Hunter was coming out of USC.

Oweh, just a redshirt sophomore coming out of Penn State, lacks a ton of refinement at the position and will need a bit of time to get up to speed and absorb coaching at the next level. Why is he a hot commodity then? His other-worldly athletic ability.

Listed at nearly 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds, Oweh tested in the top one percent of edge rushers historically. He ran a blazing 3.27 40-yard dash with elite 10 and 20 yard splits, blazing agilities as well in the shuttle and three-cone drill, and then jumped out of the building with a 39.5 inch vertical and over 11-foot broad jump. He scored a Relative Athletic Score of 9.92 out of 10.

What Oweh brings to the 2021 NFL Draft

The power and strength of Oweh are the first things that appear when watching his tape. He has the ability to drive offensive tackles into their own backfield as a pass rusher as he continues to drive his feet. However, Oweh struggles to hold his own against the run. Oweh can improve the way he uses his length in order to keep offensive linemen out of his frame and to maintain leverage.

The ability to convert speed-to-power is evident for Oweh as he is one of the most explosive pass rushers in the country. He has no issue with bull-rushing offensive linemen off of their spot. Oweh could, however, time the snap count much better as he is a bit delayed getting off the line of scrimmage.

In something that may come with time, Oweh lacks an understanding of how to attack offensive linemen with his hands. He possesses a powerful longarm but lacks the ability to counter if offensive tackles are able to anchor in on him. When taking the outside track, Oweh uses a variety of hand swipe, dip and rip, or swim move. The ability to stack moves or counter is a slow process for Oweh. Putting a plan together both pre-snap and mid-attack proves to be a flaw of Oweh’s game.

Oweh is a twitchy athlete who has the ability to stunt inside and move laterally with natural fluidity. He can change directions with a great deal of fluidity evidenced by still making plays at or near the line of scrimmage despite being used as the key read.

NFL teams live him, and while Hunter was a second round pick back in his day, it looks as though Oweh may just land top-32. We are just 13 days out from the 2021 NFL Draft, as it is almost the best time of the year!