Scouting Profile: Oluwafemi Oladejo - EDGE - UCLA
Sales Pitch: Explosive twitchy rusher with plus length. A recent LB convert who is very raw for the position but has plus starter level traits.
*Gold Numbers Indicate NCAA T-25 for 2024*
Scouting Report
Oluwafemi Oladejo, who goes by Femi, is a former 3-Star recruit from the state of California. He spent his first two seasons at Cal-Berkley before transferring to UCLA in 2023. Oladejo spent his first three seasons playing off-ball linebacker before transitioning to EDGE in 2024, where he put together a 33 pressure and 7 sack season.
Oladejo is an explosive athlete with a twitched up body and plenty of length. He is quick to uncoil out of his stance and drive upfield as a rusher. He shows the ability to win past either shoulder with his burst and agility. Oladejo has excellent contact balance to stay on his rush path and bend the corner to the passer. Primarily an athletic rusher, he does show flashes of a strong chop and spin move but needs to hone them at the next level. Oladejo is a versatile playmaker against the run. His linebacker background gives him a massive pursuit range for an EDGE, with the movement skills to chase down plays from the backside. He is a strong tackler who is comfortable playing out in space. As a traditional EDGE, Oladejo shows the core strength and bend to anchor and hold the edge. Despite a position change, he has quickly added mass to his frame and is able to hold up versus offensive lineman at the point of attack. He attacks blocks with violent heavy hands to stun them and uses his long arms to lock out and control.
Oladejo is very talented but is very raw for an EDGE - as to be expected for a player who was playing linebacker until Week 3 of this year - and has tons of inconsistencies in his game. He lacks any semblance of a pass rush plan with far too many reps where he never even gets his hands up and just runs into the chest of the blocker in front of him. His unfamiliarity with rush timings creates scenarios where his legs are straight or even sometimes off the ground at the same time as the opposing lineman strikes him. Oladejo shows flashes of quality moves and counters but rarely taps into them on a consistent basis, with some of his best wins coming by what seems be accident when his athletic instincts take over. He also struggles with mental consistency as a run defender. His instincts and diagnosing skills are far from NFL caliber and he is easily ran out of the play by misdirection.
Oladejo projects as a weak side EDGE in either an odd or even front. His newness to the position will give him the tag of “project” heading into the draft, but his combination of tools and quick growth during his senior season create reasons for optimism of a speedy growth curve. Oladejo projects as a Top-100 pick who is an early career rotation player with starter upside.