How Julian Okwara Stacks Up with the Rest of the Lions' Pass Rushers
The Lions came away with EDGE rusher Julian Okwara in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Given the giant need for players that are a threat to get to the quarterback, Okwara is likely to see plenty of snaps on obvious passing downs.
In terms of the Lions' EDGE rushers as a whole, though, where does Okwara fit?
The Lions already have players like Trey Flowers and Julian’s older brother Romeo Okwara at the defensive end spot, but Julian probably won’t be asked to be a down defensive end very often.
However, Julian has the size and length to play with his hand in the dirt in most schemes.
In Detroit head coach Matt Patricia’s scheme, the defensive ends are typically a bit heavier than Julian.
Okwara also has not yet shown the ability to consistently set the edge and hold his ground against the run.
According to Pro Football Focus, Julian’s run-stop percentage was one of the lowest in the class, and his run-defense grade was far below average as well.
At times, he even seems disinterested in taking on blocks, which leads to inconsistency with his leverage.
In contrast, both Flowers and Romeo excel against the run.
Important to note, though, they each have about 10 pounds on Julian, and are much more difficult to move when in run-defense situations.
That’s not to say Julian can’t grow into that defensive end role because he still has a chance to fill out his frame.
It’s just that his athletic traits project him more to be a stand-up pass-rushing specialist early in his career -- which is totally fine.
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Okwara’s calling card is his athleticism. The Lions have lacked that trait on the edge for a long time.
Due to a broken leg towards the end of the 2019 season, Julian was unable to compete at the NFL combine.
At a virtual Pro Day a few weeks later, he clocked in with a 4.60-second 40-yard dash.
Quite impressive for a 252-pound player and a testament to the type of explosion he has coming off the edge.
Fortunately, the JACK linebacker spot fits Julian's skill set very well.
With the release of Devon Kennard, the opening at the JACK is a bit up in the air.
Kennard played almost 82 percent of the team's defensive snaps a season ago -- the most of any D-linemen or linebacker on the team.
Plenty of Kennard’s production came from sheer volume.
Now, with Okwara and last year’s fourth-round pick Austin Bryant apparently healthy, they have two young yet unproven players that can help fill the void.
In comparing Okwara to Bryant, Okwara is far superior in athleticism, and provides more as a pass rusher. Meanwhile, Bryant might be a more well-rounded defender.
What will be interesting is how much the off-ball linebackers will be utilized.
Jamie Collins, Jahlani Tavai and Christian Jones all have some experience playing on the edge.
Even Jarrad Davis has shown the ability to get to the quarterback through blitzing.
So, it’s possible the Lions could deploy a heavy rotation at JACK.
Again, Okwara possesses an ability that none of the stack linebackers provide or the other JACK backers or even the defensive ends.
He is truly a unique talent with no other player on the roster that can do the types of things he does.
For the Lions, he is exactly what they needed to help them get after the quarterback -- an actual pass rusher.
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