PROSPECT SUMMARY – AMEN OGBONGBEMIGA

Amen Ogbongbemiga was originally born in Nigeria prior to spending the rest of his childhood in Houston, Texas and Calgary. Amen has a brother, Alex, who played at Houston and is currently a fullback for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). A standout special teams player during the first two years of his career where he won a host of accolades, he took on a bigger role during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. In 2019, he led Oklahoma State in tackles for loss (15.5).

Ideal Role: Developmental SAM or WILL linebacker.

Scheme Fit: An attacking 4-3 defense as a developmental weak- or strong-side linebacker that allows him to operate in space.

FILM EVALUATION

Written by Jordan Reid

Games watched: Tulsa (2020), Baylor (2020), West Virginia (2020), Kansas State (2020), Texas (2020)

Best Game Studied: West Virginia (2020), Kansas State (2020)

Worst Game Studied: Baylor (2020)

Tackling: Ogbongbemiga is an aggressive tackler that steps downhill with urgency but can be reluctant with pulling the trigger. Measured in his steps, he has to ensure to himself that he trusts what he sees prior to attacking the first level. A rocked-up build, he has plenty of armor to be a wrap-up tackler.

Football IQ/Instincts: Still learning the nuances of the game on the second level, he showed to be more confident when playing on the strong side in 2019 compared to his first season at MIKE in 2020. Tasked with more responsibilities, his mind tended to be on overload on many occasions. He played much faster in 2019.

Competitive Toughness: A standout special teams player every year of his career, that is the area where most of his competitive juices are evident. It’s also the area where he could carve out a long-term role for himself as he has the physique necessary to step onto the field right away and become a heavy special teams contributor.

Pass Coverage Ability: This is a bit of a foreign concept to him still as he’s more of a zone dropper to designated areas instead of actually being aware of the concepts entering/exiting his zones. Keeping his head on a swivel is non-existent and he simply goes to where he’s designed to based on the playbook. Being more aware of routes and their possibilities is a factor that will need to be coached into his game.

Run Defending: The stronger part of his game is defending against inside runs, but mostly when he can stay free of climbing blockers. When having clear lanes to attack downhill, he’s consistent with filling and making tackles.

Block Deconstruction: One of the bigger areas of his game that he struggles with is engaging and shedding blocks. He has a tendency to stick and hang on instead of extending and dislodging away. Because of his compact build and shorter arms, he can get tangled up in climbing blockers.

Lateral Mobility: A quick lateral mover, Ogbongbemiga shows range at the position. Making lots of plays outside of the tackle boxes is evidence of his speed, awareness, and understanding of specific schemes attempting to be executed.

Flexibility: He’s not an overly bendy or flexible type of player, as he plays very upright and experienced some stiffness in areas of his game. Sudden changes of direction or flipping his hips and running can be challenging, especially in man coverage against backfield options.

Leadership: Everyone that he’s encountered has spoken glowingly about his leadership, so much that the team placed him at the center of it all during his final season. A two-time team captain and an outspoken voice on and off the field, he has plenty of intangibles that evaluators seek.

Versatility: Still finding his way into playing in the middle after playing on the strong side during 2019, there were plenty of bumps along the way against the pass. He’s not an overly consistent blitzer, but he displays little hesitancy when asked to attack quarterbacks.