Amobi Okoye

Ht: 6-2 Wt: 302 40: 5.02

Position: DT

Date of Birth: 6/10/1987

Class: Senior

High School: Lee HS

(Huntsville, AL)

College: Louisville

Houston Texans-Amobi Okoye-DT-Louisville

The breakdown: Perhaps no player in this draft has as much upside or potential as Louisville’s Amobi Okoye. He became the youngest player ever in college football, when he played at Louisville as a true freshman at the age of 16 years old. He’s only been playing football since he was a sophomore in high school. He became a college graduate at the age of 19 years old and is going to be one of the youngest rookies in NFL history.

Okoye is one of the smartest players you will ever find and he will certainly never have any problems learning the playbook. The 287-pound lineman saw his draft stock skyrocket after he had a phenomenal week of practice at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. In the game, he displayed his remarkable closing speed when he chased Chris Leak down from behind and sacked him.

It was easy to see during the game why so many people were raving about this kid. His hands are very active during the battle at the line of scrimmage and he is very good at using them. He also has very good balance. The biggest knock on Okoye is a legitimate one: he’s only had one productive year. In 2006, he dropped 25 pounds before the season and the rest is history. He racked up 55 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and even had eight sacks. The Nigerian native was named first-team All Big East in 2006. He has remarkable instincts and is very good at reading and reacting to run plays. He is also very explosive off the ball and speedy; this allows him to shoot the gaps with ease.

This kid is a playmaker folks, no doubt about it. He’s much better at playing the run, but he also displayed the ability to wreak havoc on the passing game at the Senior Bowl. He might be young, but he’s oozing with all-pro potential. I didn’t expect him to be selected in the top 10, but I can’t say I blame the Texans. He’ll provide immediate help along the defensive line and help take pressure off Mario Williams. Okoye will be a great, great pro. In the words of college basketball analyst Jay Bilas, this kid has “tremendous upside”. All-pro upside without a doubt. The only thing that would make him a better pick is if he could switch over to the other side of the ball and play offensive line so he could block for Matt Schaub, the Texans immensely talented yet unproven field general.

Pick rating: 10/10

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