How Michael Ojemudia complements Broncos cornerbacks
The Denver Broncos selected Iowa cornerback Michael Ojemudia with the 77th overall pick.
The Denver Broncos have added to their cornerback depth, selecting Iowa’s Michael Ojemudia in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Ojemudia played five seasons at Iowa, collecting 125 tackles, six interceptions, a fumble recovery, and had defended 17 passes.
The stat that stands out here is the tackle total. Vic Fangio requires players on his defenses to tackle and Ojemudia can certainly do that.
Cornerback became a real need when the Denver Broncos lost Chris Harris Jr. to the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency.
Ojemudia has good size, at 6’1”, 200 pounds. His 4.45 speed is very attractive as a defensive back. Ojemudia will be most effective in zone coverage for the Broncos.
The Broncos will have Bryce Callahan and A.J. Bouye as their starting corners but Ojemudia will surely have a significant role as a third-round pick.
While at Iowa, Ojemudia allowed a passer rating of just 55.0 against opposing quarterbacks. That is phenomenal. The Broncos allowed 225.56 passing yards per game in 2019, which ranked 11th in the league.
The addition of Ojemudia continues a youth movement at the position. The oldest players at the position, Bouye and Callahan, are just 28-years old.
Ojemudia will need to get better at tracking the football to get interceptions. He will also need to get better at anticipating routes.
It will be interesting to see what Vic Fangio can get out of Ojemudia.
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Ojemudia is considered a little bit of a reach at this spot in the 2020 NFL Draft. But the Denver Broncos clearly see potential in the Iowa prospect. He will have a solid supporting cast in Denver with Fangio and Ed Donatell, as well as the other defensive backs on the roster. Hopefully, he pairs well with the group that also consists of safeties Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson.