Cornerback Michael Ojemudia is the selection for the Denver Broncos in the third round at pick 77. What are the experts saying?
Cornerback is one of the positions of the huge need for the Denver Broncos. They drafted Michael Ojemudia out of Iowa keeping their Big Ten conference tradition strong.
Ojemudia is a tremendous zone corner that needs work on the press, but the talent of this kid is fantastic as a true ball hawk in the secondary. Ojemudia pick is one that seems like Vic Fangio and Ed Donatell pounded the table for this guy.
If there is one thing that Vic Fangio loves it is the defensive side of the football and particularly secondary. Ojemudia joins a secondary with new cornerback AJ Bouye, Bryce Callahan, and others. Denver may not be done adding to the secondary in the draft. This was the first cornerback taken by Denver and they could look for another on day three.
One of the best things Denver will love about Ojemudia is he does not allow the big play as a cornerback. He limits people in front of him and back of him. The ball hawk nature does get him burned, but with the smart recognition in zone coverage, he can recover well.
What are the experts saying?
Michael Ojemudia, a CB out of Iowa, is 6-1, 200 pounds and ran a 4.45 40 at the Combine.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) April 25, 2020
Led Iowa with 12 passes-defensed and 3 INTs last year.
Michael Ojemudia is 100% a Fangio cornerback. Ton of off zone. Eyes on QB. Iowa CBs usually are discipline in zone coverage. Not sure if they can play man but he has upside
— CROCKPOT🤴🏾 (@eric_crocker) April 25, 2020
Good for Michael Ojemudia getting picked at 77 by the #Broncos. Loved his tape. One of the most impressive individuals I talked to at the Senior Bowl and Combine.
— Jonah Tuls (@JonahTulsNFL) April 25, 2020
Broncos newest CB, Iowa Michael Ojemudia, had the 4th lowest passer rating allowed in coverage this past season.
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) April 25, 2020
Michael Ojemudia from Iowa is an extremely talented & bright corner we’re excited to add to the Broncos in the third round of the draft. He’s an exceptional tackler with good instincts and movement! pic.twitter.com/kzFAXEwij9
— John Elway (@johnelway) April 25, 2020
Hard not to like Michael Ojemudia's (@GotMo_J) attitude:
— Aric DiLalla (@AricDiLalla) April 25, 2020
“I plan to [be] just a hard-nosed, physical guy. A guy who makes plays. A guy who’s going to set the tone every time he’s out there. I’m definitely going to bring some grittiness to that DB room.”
One of my favorite commentaries is from Eric Crocker and Ojemudia himself. The cornerback seemed to be handpicked from Fangio to slide into his scheme and be a perfect fit. Ojemudia being a zone corner, strong tackler, and gritty are some of the appealing traits for a corner under Fangio.
If Ojemudia can bring that attitude and physical prowess to the secondary in Denver with Kareem Jackson and Justin Simmons on the backend the Denver Broncos will have a player that can set the tone on every level. It seemed surprising at the time, but it does not disappoint with positive intrigue.