Tag Archives: Owamagbe Odighizuwa

Owamagbe Odighizuwa drafted by New York Giants in third round

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He waited longer than expected, but Owamagbe Odighizuwa became the second UCLA player taken in the 2015 NFL draft.

The New York Giants drafted the Bruins’ defensive end in the third round, making him the 74th overall selection this year. Twenty-nine picks earlier, college teammate Eric Kendricks went to the Minnesota Vikings in the second round.

The 6-foot-3, 267-pound Odighizuwa was one of the standouts at the NFL Combine in February, but the hip surgeries that sidelined him for the 2013 season gave some teams pause. Still, he said after UCLA’s Pro Day last month that he was expecting to be taken in the late first or early second round.

“The Giants are trying to get guys that can play inside and outside,” said ESPN analyst Todd McShay. “I think that’s exactly what they get in Odighizuwa.

“He’s a left defensive end fit, but he can reduce on passing downs and rush the quarterback from inside, that three technique. He’s got great length, he runs very fast in a straight line, and has long arms — a lot of pass breakups throughout his career.”

No UCLA players taken in first round of NFL draft

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In a historic haul for its conference, UCLA was left out.

While nine Pac-12 players were taken in the first round of the NFL draft, first-round hopefuls Eric Kendricks and Owa Odighizuwa will wait another day. The Bruin linebacker and defensive end had been projected as late-first or early second-round picks, and represented the program’s best chance at making a first-day splash for the third straight year.

Brett Hundley, regarded by some as the No. 3 quarterback available, could also be selected in either the second or third round.

The second day of the draft will start at 4 p.m. PT.

Where will the UCLA Bruins go in the 2015 NFL draft?

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Former UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley attends spring football practice at Spaulding Field on April 2, 2015. (Andy Holzman/Staff)

Former UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley attends spring football practice at Spaulding Field on April 2, 2015. (Andy Holzman/Staff)

UCLA hasn’t produced three straight first-round picks since 1994-96, when Jamir Miller, J.J. Stokes and Jonathan Ogden all became top-10 selections.

The Bruins could finally match that streak again today. The NFL Draft starts at 5 p.m., and both linebacker Eric Kendricks and defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa have a chance to be picked. (There’s a bit of buzz linking Kendricks to the Arizona Cardinals, but late-developing draft news could always be a smokescreen.) UCLA hasn’t produced two first-rounders in the same draft since 1981, Freeman McNeil and Kenny Easley went third and fourth overall.

Worth reading on Odighizuwa is this story from Tania Ganguli at ESPN: Owa’s mother, Abieyuwa, helped hold the family together in the wake of his father killing three people in a shooting at the Appalachian School of Law.

In today’s paper, I covered Brett Hundley being set to become the first UCLA quarterback drafted since Cade McNown in 1999, although that’s more likely happen tomorrow. Here are quick draft bios for the Bruins as well.

Hundley, Odighizuwa stand out with NFL combine measurements

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UCLA’s pro prospects have all landed in Indianapolis for the NFL Combine. Although most of the biggest drills are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday — including quarterback workouts tomorrow — most of the former Bruins have been measured by now.

Here’s a quick look.

QB Brett Hundley — 6’3″, 32 1/8″ arms, 226 pounds, 10 1/2″ hands
Hundley’s physicals were never really questioned in terms of his draft profile, but he didn’t hurt himself by measuring out with the biggest hands of any quarterback.

LB Eric Kendricks — 6’0″, 232 pounds, 31″ arms, 9 5/8″ hands
The reigning Butkus Award winner has never blown anyone with his physical gifts, and his measurements at the combine didn’t pop out in any way. Of note: He’s very physically similar to USC’s Hayes Pullard, who has the same height and hand size but is eight pounds heavier and slightly longer (31 1/4″ arms).

DT Ellis McCarthy — 6’5″, 338 pounds, 34 1/8″ arms, 9 7/8″ hands
McCarthy was heavier than any other defensive lineman except Washington’s Danny Shelton, who edged him by a pound. The 6-foot-2 Shelton is projected as a first-round pick.

DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa — 6’3″, 267 pounds, 33 3/4″ arms, 11″ hands
His hands actually measured an eighth of an inch shorter than they did at the Senior Bowl last month, but that still ties him for first among defensive linemen with Indiana’s Bobby Richardson and Iowa’s Carl Davis.

Anthony Jefferson will be measured along with other defensive backs on Saturday.