NFL Draft Profile: Olusegun Oluwatimi, Offensive Lineman, Michigan Wolverines
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Olusegun Oluwatimi
Michigan Wolverines
#55
Pos: iOL
Ht: 6025
Wt: 309
Hand: 0858
Arm: 3268
Wing: 7948
40: 5.38
DOB: 8/5/1999
Hometown: Upper Marlboro, MD
High School: DeMatha Catholic
Eligibility: 2023
One Liner:
Oluwatimi is a decorated and highly experienced center with more than 3,000 snaps at the college level who displays a high football IQ, but the lack of bend in his knees and concerns about his agility limit his ceiling as a prospect.
Evaluation:
Oluwatimi is a highly experienced center. This is his fourth consecutive season serving as a starter after a slow start to his college career. Oluwatimi frames blocks well to control and redirect defenders. He has a strong grip, which helps him latch onto and drive defenders. In pass protection, the former two-star recruit oscillates to handle multiple targets. His veteran savvy shows in how he handles stunts and diagnoses blitzes. Oluwatimi has few to no inaccurate snaps at this point in his career. He constantly looks for work as a blocker and displays a high-end understanding of rushing lanes and positioning. Oluwatimi’s hand placement and controlled footwork help him seal defenders to open rushing lanes. He stays low and drives with power when getting vertical in the run game. Oluwatimi is effective at pulling and finding second-level targets on gap plays. He’s even better at climbing to the second level and eliminating linebackers on inside zone runs. The Maryland native is a true center with no positional versatility. He has good but not great arm length. Oluwatimi struggles with his pad level, which often rises quickly and causes issues in the leverage battle. It doesn’t help that he lacks natural bend in his knees and is prone to leaning on defenders instead of sinking in his stance. Oluwatimi allows defenders into his chest, which further complicates his struggles with leverage. There are some concerns about Oluwatimi’s physical limitations. He’s a plodder in the open field and sometimes arrives a little late on pulls. Oluwatimi isn’t a twitchy or sudden athlete and it shows in his change of direction skills. His feet sometimes stop moving and get stuck in the ground, which leads to delayed lateral movement in pass protection. Oluwatimi isn’t a mauler and his hands lack pop. He doesn’t need to add weight, but he might benefit from getting closer to 315 lbs. His profile includes two smaller concerns that are easily correctable. First, Oluwatimi sometimes ducks his head into contact, which prevents him from identifying other threats and leaves him open for easy counters. Second, he carries his hands low before engaging the defender. There were reps where Oluwatimi failed to protect his chest because he was late getting his hands up by half a second. Oluwatimi is experienced with zone and gap concepts. While his understanding of rushing lanes and ability to eliminate targets on the move are attractive elements for a gap scheme, Oluwatimi’s limited agility and physical limitations make him best fit for an inside zone scheme at the next level.
Grade:
5th Round
Quotes:
“His initial slide ability as a pass blocker is great, but when he engages with 3-techs and the 1-tech, he’s able to finish in space. On the perimeter, the lack of length shows up a bit more, but I think overall, he’s been a great traditional in-a-phone-booth center, who’s a really good pass blocker and a really good run blocker.” -- East-West Shrine Bowl Director Eric Galko on IOL Olusegun Oluwatimi
Background:
Oluwatimi was a two-star recruit from DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Md., in the class of 2017. He was the No. 3,300 recruit, according to the 247Sports Composite board. Oluwatimi didn’t receive a national ranking or star ranking from Rivals, On3.com, or ESPN. He began his high school football journey at Archbishop Carroll High School. Oluwatimi arrived at Air Force in 2017 before transferring to Virginia in 2018. He transferred from Virginia to Michigan for the 2022 season. Oluwatimi earned a degree in economics from Virginia. His brother (Oluwaseun) was a defensive lineman at Maryland. Oluwatimi was a 2019 All-ACC honorable mention, 2021 All-ACC Second-Team selection, 2021 Second-Team All-American for FWAA, and one of three finalists for the Rimington Trophy in 2021.
