Finding Broncos: Obinna Eze | OT | TCU
Measurements
- Height: 6-foot-6.5
- Weight: 321 pounds
- Arms: 36-1/8 inches
- Hands: 9-7/8 inches
Combine
- 40 Yard Dash: 5.17 seconds
- Bench Press (225 pounds): 18 reps
- Vertical Jump: 27.5 inches
- Broad Jump: 104 inches
- 3 Cone Drill: 8.2 seconds
- 20 Yard Shuttle: 5.08 seconds
Pros
- Timing with his initial punch is excellent and has enough power.
- Elite length to get hands-on first consistently.
- Plenty of experience in his career.
- Can generate some torque to move defenders.
- Seemed to improve with the mental aspect of the game.
- Not stiff with his movements.
- Does well generating some power to drive block.
- Decent movement skills to climb to the second level.
- Decently quick feet to get outside.
- Versatile experience.
- Stayed on the field.
- Good timing on the second level.
- Played basketball, and it shows in his footwork.
- Violent with his hands.
- Has good range as a blocker.
- Length to get hands-on linebackers at the second level.
Cons
- He is extremely raw with his technique.
- Plays with a high pad level.
- Doesn't play with a synced up lower half with the upper half.
- Maturity concerns have popped up.
- Plays with almost no bend in the knees.
- Leans into blocks.
- Doesn't seem to play with confidence.
- Needs to set his base.
- Doesn't stay square.
- Hand technique is lacking, and placement has to be better.
- Coordination when moving isn't good enough.
- Needs to get stronger with his lower half.
- Lacks the strength to direct defenders.
- Kick slides are choppy.
- 13 total penalties with four holding, and the rest were false starts.
- Hooking habit when beaten on the edge.
Overview
Obinna Eze is one of the more coveted developmental tackle options because of his extraordinary length that he will bring to the table. There are also decent movement skills as a run blocker on the outside to pair with the length. Outside of that, however, his technique is lacking and needs to be entirely built up.
While he was at Memphis, some questions arose about his maturity, and those questions followed him to TCU this last season. That can lead to issues when trying to develop players. Having plenty of problems with penalties doesn't help his value.
Fit with Broncos
If the Denver Broncos want to wait for a developmental tackle, provided he is cleared with the red flags, then Eze can make sense. He has uncoachable traits teams love to bet on and Denver can afford to give him a year to develop. The scheme fit, while not great, is fine, especially if they can fix some of his issues in his lower body.
George Paton values character, so it will be interesting to see if they look at Eze. The maturity questions aren't terrible red flags but sound to be enough to give some pause. Paton and the Broncos could be more willing to pull the trigger if he falls far enough.
Grade: Late Round 5
Where he Goes: Round 4/Round 5
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