Scouting Report

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As I’ve mentioned in earlier draft reports, this pass rusher draft class is filled with extremely raw pass rushers with both a high ceiling and low floor. A player whose ceiling might be higher than any other defensive ends in this year’s class is Jayson Oweh the edge rusher from Penn State.

The words “athletic freak” get thrown around a lot when talking about prospects, but those words apply to nobody more than Jayson Oweh in this year’s defensive class. At his pro day, Oweh ran a 4.36 forty yard dash and measured in at 6’5 257 lbs. To show just how explosive he is, he also jumped through the roof posting a 39.5 inch vertical and an 11’2 broad jump. As a rusher, Oweh’s best move comes with power. His bull rush is by far his best move and you saw his strength come out when benching 21 reps at his pro day (which is a lot harder than it seems due to his arm length). By no means is Oweh a complete player, but the high end potential makes him an attractive prospect for NFL general managers and head coaches.

Let’s address the elephant in the room, Oweh’s biggest concern is the lack of sacks. In 2020, Oweh played seven games and didn’t register a single sack. While a lack of sacks isn’t always a red flag for me, a lack of pressures is. In all of the games that I watched of Jayson Oweh, he wasn’t getting relatively close to getting a sack. While the athleticism is through the roof, the lack of development is concerning. A few signs that showed how raw Oweh really is, is how far he’d get up field in his rush leaving wide open running lanes and losing outside contain. This is worrisome especially if you play in a division with guys like Lamar Jackson or Kyler Murray where they can always takeoff. While Oweh could be the next Danielle Hunter, there’s also a chance he could be one of the biggest busts in this draft.

I think it would be to Oweh’s favor if he were to be drafted by a team that is already very good and doesn’t have to rely on him to be ready from day one. It will take time to develop a player of Oweh’s talent, but it can really pay off in the long run. With that being said, there is no way that I’m using a first round pick on Oweh. While the upside is enticing, day one is just too big of a commitment for me. There isn’t one player that exactly resembles Oweh’s athleticism, but the closest pro comparison that I could find is Marcus Davenport. The Bills, Chiefs, and Cowboys would all be good landing spots for Oweh.