2021 NFL Draft: Top 10 edge rushers 

#8 2021 NFL Draft Prospect: Jason Oweh (Penn State)

6’ 5”, 255 pounds; RS SO

Jason Oweh

A former top-100 overall recruit, Jason Oweh had to wait his turn for a defensive line that included Yetur Gross-Matos and Shaka Toney.

He only appeared in two games his freshman year (and recording two sacks) and then being a rotational player in 2019, when he recorded five sacks and two forced fumbles. Last season as a first-string defensive end in Penn State’s seven games, he put up a career-high 6.5 tackles for loss but not a single sack.

Oweh was the fourth name on Bruce Feldman’s freak list, highlighted by a jaw-dropping reported 40-yard dash time of 4.33. If you want to see a play that shows his straight-line speed, just go to the Maryland tape, where they actually get outside of him on a speed sweep and the receiver scores a touchdown, but he gains ground on and even gets a hand on the man at the very end.

However, as you follow his path with the Nittany Lions, you can tell that he is much more than just a crazy athlete. At the point of the attack in the run game, he shows heavy hands at first contact or can crash the B-gap when the tackles oversets to the outside and he sees an opportunity open up. Against zone-reads and speed option, Oweh can read the mesh point patiently and then has the quick burst to track the ball down, while also easily being able to open up 90 degrees in one step, which shows when reacting to screen passes.

As the unblocked defender from the backside, he displays great discipline, keeping his shoulders square, while closing the distance to the nearest blocker and then coming down the line once he has diagnosed who has the ball. Often times, he slips underneath sift blocks coming his way and can also work cross-face, if someone tries to scoop him up on the back-side.

When it comes to the pass-game, the tremendous explosiveness and flexibility Oweh has in his lower body really shines. You see him consistently shorten the corner with power and when he slants inside, he can even drive much bigger guards backwards.

His stutter bull-rush in particular can be just devastating, if he gets blocker to stop their feet momentarily, but then he is also sudden enough to step around them around tackles if they sit on that move. Oweh’s flexibility is on display, when looping into the A-gap and then as the quarterback sees him flashing, bending off that inside foot, to open back up to the sideline, as the QB tries to escape that way.

Oweh may have been a rotational player until last season, but he has a lot reps, running different games up front for a creative defense in terms up their pressure packages. The sack production might not be quite there yet, but Oweh can shrink the pocket and forces the guy back there to move around, while really getting out his lane and making somebody else look bad.

Jason Oweh needs to do a better job overall establishing a half-man relationship, but especially against the run, where his eyes seem to get lost in the frame of the blocker at times. You also see angular blockers, like tight-ends trying to scoop him on the backside of wide zone runs, get under his pads and stand him almost straight up on occasion.

As a pass-rusher, he relies too much on his power and needs to utilize more effective hand-combos, being more pro-active in that regard altogether. And he doesn’t yet pair moves up throughout games and stress blockers in different areas. And while his pressure numbers aren’t bad (20 on 171 pass-rush snaps), it’s rare to draft edge rushers with zero sacks in their final season at any point, much less the first two days.

I think I’m a little lower on Oweh than most analysts out there, because I think you are really banking on athletic upside when you draft this guy. His explosiveness and power are undeniable, but he is still learning how to use those tools and just hasn’t turned into production yet – which won’t get any easier at the next level. I don’t think I would take him in the top 50, unless the edge class really dries out, but for where he is usually projected to go, I think there is better value available later on.