Ochaun Mathis NFL Draft Overview
Position: Edge Defender
Height: 6′-5″
Weight: 250 pounds
School: Nebraska
2023 NFL Draft: Ochaun Mathis Scouting Report
After spending his first four years in college at TCU, Ochaun Mathis has declared for the NFL Draft following one season with Nebraska. The change of environment proved to be a good one, as he had the second-best season of his NCAA career. Appearing in 12 games, the edge defender recorded 48 tackles, five tackles-for-loss, and 3.5 sacks.
Ochaun Mathis originally joined the college football world in 2018. After taking a redshirt season, he earned a starting role in 2019 and recorded 40 tackles, nine tackles-for-loss, and 2.5 sacks. He took his game to another level in 2020, recording 44 tackles, 12.5 tackles-for-loss, and eight sacks in just 10 games.
Unfortunately, Mathis was unable to recapture that form in later seasons. In 2021, his final year at TCU, the Texas native recorded just 45 tackles, four tackles-for-loss, and two sacks.
Strengths
- Insane length – 94th percentile arms that help keep blocker at bay;
- Good lateral agility – flashes the ability to twist past tackles;
- Large frame can support more muscle without slowing him down;
- Very good athlete with untapped potential;
- Flashes pass-rushing knowledge by setting up tackles while getting to the quarterback;
- One could argue that TCU and Nebraska didn’t play to his strengths;
- Sound tackler.
Weaknesses
- Needs to add more strength – can’t hold up to run blocking;
- Gets eaten alive by blockers when they get two hands on him;
- Only one season of great production in five years;
- Could use another pass rushing move or two;
- Already 24 years old – might not have much more room to grow
NFL Comparison: Clelin Ferrell
Teams With Need at Position: Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks
Projection: Round 6
Bottom Line on Ochaun Mathis
Ochaun Mathis is a decent prospect in the NFL Draft that will begin his career as a situational pass rusher. If he can play like he did in 2020, then he should be able to thrive in this role. The edge defender possesses some real speed off the edge, decent bend, and most importantly, the long arms that make it difficult for opposing tackles to engage him. While these raw traits have always been present, he only has one season on tape where he was able to put it all together, and that came all the way back in 2020.
Perhaps Mathis’ relatively lackluster performances were due to coaches utilizing him poorly. Mathis is at his best when he’s attacking the opposing linemen and quarterbacks, yet he spent a good amount of time waiting and reacting to counter read-option attacks. Seeing as that type of offense is rare in the NFL, there is a chance that his best years are ahead of him.
If you’re an optimist, you’d also point out that Mathis has plenty of untapped athletic potential, which means that the right coaching staff could theoretically improve his game. If you’re a pessimist, you’d note that Mathis is already 24 years old, and if he hasn’t figured out how to use his special gifts by now, he probably won’t put it all together against the best competition in the world.
However, no matter where you land on his potential, there is no denying that he needs to add more weight. Mathis lacks the strength to anchor himself in the run game and can be taken out of pass plays pretty easily if a tackle gets two hands on him. The good news is that he should be able to support more muscle on his 6′-5″ frame without sacrificing his speed off the edge.
Ultimately, Ochaun Mathis will probably never be anything more than a situational pass rusher. He has the raw ability to turn into a league-average starter, but he has a long way to go before he reaches that ceiling.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
