Replacing Kareem Hunt: Can Devine Ozigbo be the answer?

The Chiefs recent RB history is pretty remarkable. From Priest Holmes to Larry Johnson, Jamaal Charles to Kareem Hunt, Kansas City has had a top NFL RB in the backfield for almost 20 years in a row. In 2018, Damien Williams emerged as a candidate to be the next in line, but it would be a shock if there wasn't a RB taken to compete with him in the upcoming Draft. The NFL has proven you don't need to riskily invest in the RB position, so I would bet Brett Veach and company will look for a guy they can select in the mid rounds. They may not need to look much further than just up north in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Devine Ozigbo

Background

Growing up in Sachse, Texas, a neighboring town of Dallas, Ozigbo went through high school as a football player and a track athlete. He was a top 100 player in the State of Texas and a top 60 RB in the country as a college prospect, and went from committing to decommitting from Iowa State and ended up at Nebraska. He immediately played as a true freshman, and has made a significant impact all 4 seasons as a Cornhusker. 

Production

Ozigbo didn't post super impressive statistics until his senior year, where he earned 3rd team All-Big Ten honors and was the team's leading rusher. He scored 12 times on the ground, and ranked 11th in the country with a 7.0 yards per carry average. He also caught 23 balls with an 8.8 yards per catch average. 

Analysis

At 6'0 and weighing in at 219 pounds at the Senior Bowl (I would speculate that he played at a higher weight during the season), Ozigbo has the size to handle NFL contact. He shows the ability to run through arm tackles without much resistance and move piles for extra yardage. 

You notice, in the previous gif, a flash of lateral movement. He succeeds at this skill with good explosion, balance and quick recovery to sustain positive momentum out of the cut. 

Shield your eyes for this next one if you're squeamish. Ankles were indeed harmed in the making of this highlight. 

Ozigbo isn't a burner, but for his size he has impressive straight ahead speed on long runs. The subtle speed cut here sets him up for the big TD. 

That speed plus his momentum and size working together make him a player DBs won't be too fond of tackling.

He has natural awareness while running in the open field. He makes the right cuts and finishes runs with power to top off with a few extra yards. 

He shows good speed on this particular wheel route out of the backfield, a route we've seen Andy Reid use with his RBs before.

Speaking of routes, Ozigbo has some capability in the passing game. Shows good quickness out of his cut in this route here, leading to seperation and a big play (even if he did make it a little difficult on himself)

Flashes with good hands on a contested catch lined up outside. Andy Reid wants backs that can line up all over the offensive formation. 

For all his skills as a ballcarrier, he doesn't show the same talent as a blocker or a pass protector. Seems to get beat even when in good position.  

In this next gif, he seems to be in a good position to wash away the blitzing LB off the edge, but just can't get there. If his QB needed to hold onto the ball a second longer he would've gotten destroyed. 

There are signs of hope though, he shows better technique and focus in spurts as a blocker. Kareem Hunt wasn't a very good pass protector at first either. It's a skill that takes time to develop, and Ozigbo has shown enough and has the size to fall on the side of optimistic about his future as a blocker. 

I'm definitely not saying Devine Ozigbo would be the player Kareem Hunt was right out of the gate. Hunt was special in his rookie season, and Ozigbo may not be able to be an immediate star like that, but he doesn't need to be. His skillset would complement Damien Williams' well, and together they could open up the offense even more for Super Bowl runs in 2019 and beyond. His draft stock will only rise if he puts up impressive numbers at his Pro Day, but if he gets into Day 3, I hope the Chiefs can make this draft pick happen.