New York Giants Draft Prospect Profile: IOL Olusegun Oluwatimi

Nick takes a look at a potential Day 2 prospect for the interior offensive line.

Author:
Nick Falato
Publish date:
Apr 9, 2023 8:00 AM EDT

In this story:

Olusegun Oluwatimi, IOL

Height: 6-foot-2½
Weight: 305 lbs.
Class: Graduate Senior
School: Michigan
Age: 23 (born 08/05/1999)

Combine Measurements

Arm length: 32¾”
Hand size: 8⅝”
40-yard-dash: 5:38
10-yard-split: 1.86
Vertical jump: 29”
Broad jump: 9’2”
Bench press: 29

A former two-star recruit out of DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, where he was the 160th interior offensive lineman ranked and the 48th Maryland recruit in the 2017 cycle.

Notables

A well-traveled college football player who started his career at the Air Force Academy in 2017. Oluwatimi never appeared in a game for Air Force and transferred to Virginia in 2018, resulting in an inactive year due to former transfer rules. He started the next three years at center for Virginia before transferring to Michigan for the 2022 season.

He allowed nine pressures and no sacks in 2022, with seven sacks and 59 pressures across 2,147 pass-blocking snaps in his career. Pro Football Focus had Oluwatimi as their second-highest center in 2022, where he was a Consensus All-American, an Outland Trophy winner (best center), and the recipient of the Rimington Award (best interior linemen). Oluwatimi is an accomplished center who should be an option for the Giants on day two.

Strengths

A bit short 6’2” - Good frame and length, wide base
Solid athlete with light feet when moving forward
Fires off the ball with sufficient burst and short-area quickness
Good overall run blocker
Very good feet and control to mirror second level defenders when given a free release
Generates good push at the point of attack in short yardage situations
Excellent DUO/Combo block climb to the play-side LB
Finishes blocks well off Combos
Quick to get out of his stance and oriente himself when pulling
Quickly accelerates in a controlled manner when pulling to the play side
Nimble smooth feet - good lateral movement along the LOS in pass protection
A good pass protector when deception is not involved
Solid hands - keeps them low, does well to readjust in pass protection
Anchors down and plays with good leverage at the point of attack against power
Does a solid job handling counter moves - reset when necessary
When he anticipates the bltiz, he’s excellent at catching & steering LBs away from the pocket - Indiana Q4, 10:29, 1st & 10
Takes advantage of leaning defenders - employs a prompt snatch & trap
Plays with good overall strength
Solid competitor who plays through the whistle

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Weaknesses

Sustaining angled blocks (down in power/gap) - could get lower to avoid hugging and must keep feet moving
Doesn’t possess the same range as a zone blocker moving laterally
Could take better angles of attack - doesn’t maximize his potential
Some stalemate matches on the LOS where he fails to drive his feet through contact in the run game
Hands don’t pack impactful pop on contact
Can mirror but will lean into contact, allowing defenders to slip & avoid
Twist pick up is marginal
Awareness in pass protection - twists twisted him up
Almost exclusively played center in college
Gets caught holding - had 24 career holding penalties

Summary

Olusegun Oluwatimi was a Consensus All-American that won the Rimington and Outland Trophies in 2022 - his lone season with Michigan. He almost exclusively played at center in college and played with good leverage, solid technique as a good run blocker, and an above-average pass blocker. His ability to adjust to counter moves with light feet in confined spaces, and his anchor allowed him to protect the pocket for Michigan.

His evaluation isn’t completely clean; he struggled to diagnose and react to exotic twists up front that lead to big defensive plays. His hands don’t have much pop to them, and his range is sufficient but not as expansive as some of the other top IOL in the class. He may be best suited for a power/gap scheme at the next level. Oluwatimi is a solid center player who should be selected somewhere on Day 2.

GRADE: 6.21