Ruke Orhorhoro NFL Draft Overview
Height: 6’4 (Unofficial)
Weight: 290 lbs (Unofficial)
Age: 22 years old
School: Clemson Tigers
2024 NFL Draft: Ruke Orhohoro Scouting Report
I may not know everything in the world, but I do know that the Clemson Tigers football program develops elite quarterbacks, wide receivers, and defensive linemen. From Deshaun Watson, Trevor Lawrence, Tee Higgins, Mike Williams, Dexter Lawrence, and Grady Jarrett, the Clemson Tigers football program has recently been a hotbed for the NFL draft.
Next on their list is Ruke Orhorhoro. Orhorhoro was a three-star recruit out of River Rouge, Michigan, and committed to Clemson. Even though he only played two years of high school football, the Tigers were excited about his potential. Orhorhoro became a full-time contributor his sophomore year after the injury to 2023 first-round draft pick, Brian Breese.
At Clemson, he appeared in 53 games and started 35. Orhorhoro was credited with 97 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, and 12 sacks as the Clemson Tiger was a consistent force for the Tigers. Orhorhoro should garner heavy early-round consideration in the NFL draft. However, what round grade did he deserve based on his film? Let’s dig into it!
Ruke Orhorhoro Player Evaluation
Orhorhoro’s Strengths
- He has a fantastic motor and loves to play football. He has an intriguing ceiling due to being this good while inexperienced at the game and his position.
- Elite combination of size, strength, quickness, and athleticism and flashes elite upside talent for the NFL level.
- Elite get off with a tremendous strike-first mentality of the line of scrimmage.
- He is elite at penetrating in the backfield, especially when playing three-technique defensive tackle—a very physical football player.
- He can be a day-one starter for an NFL team due to his ability to stop the run. He takes on blocks with good pad-level ferocity with impressive upper-body stretch to attack Offensive linemen. He has shown flashes of shedding one-on-one blocks.
- His explosiveness and strength made it hard to move in the zone run grain. He does not stop his feet and has the quickness to cross the face of the offensive lineman.
Orhorhoro’s Weakness
- He has no consistent pass rush move other than a bull rush due to inexperience in playing football. He is still learning to use his hands and add to his pass rush plan outside the bull rush.
- Lack of inexperience also hurts double teams and high-level offense line block combinations.
- He can be exposed to the next level with more experience, advanced offensive linemen, and schemes.
- Must improve hand technique and hand placement to shed one-on-one blocks by linemen more consistently.
- He is not a three-down starting defensive liming due to his inability to provide a consistent pass rush. The NFL team would need to be patient with him and develop.
Projection: Second Round
NFL Comparison: David Onyemata
Best Fits: Houston Texans, Cincinnati Bengals, and the Detroit Lions.
