Olusegun Oluwatimi NFL Draft Overview
Position: Interior Offensive Line
Height: 6′-3″
Weight: 309 pounds
School: Michigan
2023 NFL Draft: Olusegun Oluwatimi Scouting Report
After spending four years in college between Virginia and Michigan, Olusegun Oluwatimi has declared for the 2023 NFL Draft. The center is coming off what is probably the best season of his career, as he made quite the impression during his lone season with the Wolverines. Seeing the field for 918 snaps, Oluwatimi didn’t allow a single sack and earned the Rimington and Outland Trophies for his phenomenal play.
Olusegun Oluwatimi began his college football journey at Virginia. In 2019, he primarily played center but also registered a start at guard. In 2020, he played 718 snaps while allowing zero sacks, two quarterback hits, and 13 hurries. In 2021, he played 910 snaps while allowing three sacks, five quarterback hits, and 12 hurries.
Strengths
- Fundamentally sound player that never loses ugly;
- Entire body acts as one during blocks – knows how to make his feet drive the power;
- Strong player that should be able to handle NFL bull rushes;
- Knows how to go from one assignment to another – dangerous second-level blocker in that sense;
- Can play guard in a pinch;
- Never gets fooled by stunts – knows how to pass off his man and handle assignments.
Weaknesses
- Below-average athleticism, even for a center;
- Doesn’t move around well – should not be used as a pull blocker;
- Can be beaten by speed moves inside;
- 3rd-percentile hand size will make it harder for him to engage blockers;
- Doesn’t do anything exceptionally well – just ok at everything.
NFL Comparison: Ben Jones
Teams With Need at Position: Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, New York Giants
Projection: Round 4
Bottom Line on Olusegun Oluwatimi
Olusegun Oluwatimi earned plenty of hardware for his collegiate play, and hopefully, that can translate to the NFL after the draft. Most of Oluwatimi’s awards came from his remarkable consistency. He rarely had awful plays, and that’s largely due to his reliable fundamentals. The center is technically sound, as he makes his whole body work as one to move opposing linemen in the run game and keep them away from the quarterback in the pass game. Stunts don’t bother him, as he effortlessly processes the new rushers, passes off his current man, and takes the new rusher with minimal effort. He already has NFL play strength and, as an added bonus, could play guard in an emergency situation.
Olusegun Oluwatimi has the brain to play in the NFL, but smarts and technical knowledge can only get you so far. After all, there’s a reason Andy Reid isn’t a starting quarterback. Oluwatimi is a below-average linebacker, even by center standards, and his complete lack of lateral agility puts a hard limit on his ceiling. He’s not going to play well on the move and speedier defensive tackles can get past him. On top of that, his hands are exceptionally small. Usually, hand size concerns are overblown, but Oluwatimi will have the second smallest hands of any NFL player next year, which means it will be hard for him to engage opposing linemen.
Fortunately, athleticism isn’t all that important for centers. If an NFL team looking for a new center drafts Olusegun Oluwatimi, then he could compete to start. However, he’s not going to have the highest ceilings, and his team will always be passively looking for an upgrade as long as he’s in the starting lineup.
Main Photo: Vasha Hunt – USA Today Sports
