New York Giants Land Vikings Edge Rusher Ifeadi Odenigbo

The Giants are taking a flyer on a 26-year-old ascending pass rushing specialist from Minnesota. Let's get the lowdown on Ifeadi Odenigbo.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Mar 17, 2021 10:15 PM EDT

The Minnesota Vikings might have lured defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson away, but the Giants returned the favor of sorts by coming to terms with edge rusher Ifeadi Odenigbo on a one-year deal.

The 6’3”, 258-pound Odenigbo hails from Bayonne, New Jersey, where he became the first member of his family, who emigrated from Nigeria, to be born in the United States.

He played his high school ball in Centerville and attended Northwestern University. Following his college career, he was selected by the Vikings in the seventh round of the 2017 draft.

Odenigbo was waived by the Vikings on September 2, 2017, and landed on their practice squad. He then signed with the team on a reserve/futures contract in January 2018 but was waived again after training camp.

Odenigbo then had brief stops with the Browns and Cardinals, both during the 2018 season. He returned to the Vikings on October 31, 2018, as a member of their practice squad and then signed another reserve/futures contract with the team.

Odenigbo made the Vikings 53-man roster coming out of the 2019 training camp, and his very first NFL sack came against none other than Giants quarterback Daniel Jones.

Odenigbo, a restricted free agent, was not tendered by the Vikings and thus was free to sign with another team.

The Skinny

Odenigbo has appeared in 32 games with 15 starts, the starts coming last year for the Vikings. He has recorded 10.5 sacks all in the previous two seasons, his best of which was a seven-sack effort in 2019 with the Vikings.

Odenigbo has 59 career tackles, ten tackles for a loss, and 28 quarterback hits. A situational pass rusher, he also has recorded a safety and one forced fumble and has two fumble recoveries, including one for a touchdown in his career.

At Northwestern, he finished his four-year career with 61 tackles, including 26.5 for a loss and 23.5 acks.

Scouting Report

Here’s what Inside the Vikings Team Publisher Will Ragatz had to say about the Vikings’ decision not to tender Odenigbo as a restricted free agent:

The Odenigbo move is the more notable one from a personnel standpoint. The Vikings could've used a $2.1 million tender on him, which wouldn't have prevented another team from giving him an offer sheet, but it would've increased the likelihood that he returned to Minnesota. Instead, they chose not to do so, perhaps hoping to re-sign Odenigbo at a lower price. But this decision opens the door for him to sign elsewhere, which would hurt the Vikings' depth at edge rusher.

Luke Braun of the LockedOn Vikings podcast also offered that “run defense has never been Odenigbo's strength.” Braun's good news did draw a comparison between Odenigbo and former Giants edge rusher Romeo Okwara, who has thrived in Detroit and recently re-signed with the Lions.

With that said, Braun cautioned about letting the drop-off in Odenigbo’s production last season give off the wrong impression. He notes that the defensive end “got doubled like crazy because of how much the Vikings front fell apart.”

Where He Fits

The Giants need edge-rushing help in the worst way. Youngsters Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines are both coming back from season-ending injuries, and there’s no guarantee that the team will be able to re-sign Kyler Fackrell.

Odenigbo appears to be an ascending player on the rise given his production the last two years.

With the NFL draft class not particularly deep on edge-rushing talent, the Giants are taking a flier on another young and seemingly ascending player who with a strong showing could become a long-term fit in their pass rush.