David Ojabo (born 17 May 2000) is a Nigerian professional American football linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He was an All-American college football player for the Michigan Wolverines, and was selected by the Ravens in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft.
 Ojabo with the Michigan Wolverines in 2021 | |||||||||
| No. 90 – Baltimore Ravens | |||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | 17 May 2000 Port Harcourt, Nigeria | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 252 lb (114 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Blair (Blairstown, New Jersey) | ||||||||
| College: | Michigan (2019–2021) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2022 / round: 2 / pick: 45 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 8, 2024 | |||||||||
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Early years
editOjabo was born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, in 2000 and moved to Aberdeen, Scotland with his family in 2007.[1][2][3] At 17, he moved to Blairstown, New Jersey, in the United States and began attending Blair Academy.[4][5] He initially played basketball before switching to American football.[3] Ojabo committed to the University of Michigan to play college football[6] in part because the Michigan weather was similar to Scotland and made him feel at home.[3]
College career
editOjabo did not play his first year at Michigan in 2019. As a sophomore in 2020, he played in six games and made one tackle. Ojabo took over as a starter in 2021.[7][8] On January 4, 2022, he announced that he would forgo his senior year and enter the draft.[9]
While performing on Pro Day at Michigan, Ojabo suffered a left ankle injury while performing a drill. It was later confirmed that he had suffered a torn Achilles.[10]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
250 lb (113 kg) |
33+1⁄2 in (0.85 m) |
9 in (0.23 m) |
4.55 s | 1.59 s | 2.64 s | 4.45 s | 35.0 in (0.89 m) |
10 ft 2 in (3.10 m) | |||
| All values from NFL Combine[11][12] | ||||||||||||
Ojabo was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round, 45th overall, of the 2022 NFL draft.[13] He was placed on injured reserve on 31 August 2022 as he continued to recover from the Achilles injury he suffered in March.[14] He was activated on 1 November.[15] He recorded his first sack in Week 18 in of the 2022 season against the Bengals.[16]
On 30 September 2023, Ojabo was placed on injured reserve.[17]
References
edit- ^ Sang, Orion (15 July 2020). "Michigan football's David Ojabo thought he'd be in Scotland a week. He has been there 3 months". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ Cryle, Ryan (18 July 2020). "David Ojabo eager to continue American football rise with Michigan Wolverines after three months stranded in Westhill". Press and Journal. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ a b c "From Africa, to Aberdeen, to the NFL". BBC Sport. 4 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
- ^ Hunt, Todderick (9 February 2018). "Lightning strikes twice at Blair, which boasts DE Ojabo". NJ.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ Farrell, Perry A. (5 July 2018). "From Nigeria to Scotland to N.J., how David Ojabo became Michigan commit". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ Baumgardner, Nick (2 July 2018). "Michigan football: 3-star DE David Ojabo commits to robust 2019 class". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ Kahn, Andrew (24 September 2021). "Nigeria-born, Scotland-raised, Michigan football LB continues remarkable rise". mlive.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ Chengelis, Angelique S. (23 September 2021). "Michigan's David Ojabo plays with sense of urgency after getting stuck overseas". Detroit News. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- ^ VanHaaren, Tom (4 January 2022). "Michigan pass-rusher Ojabo entering NFL draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ VanHaaren, Tom (19 March 2022). "Michigan LB David Ojabo suffered torn Achilles during pro day, could miss six months, source says". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
- ^ "David Ojabo Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
- ^ "David Ojabo, Michigan, DE, 2022 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
- ^ Brown, Clifton (29 April 2022). "Five Things to Know About David Ojabo". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ Brown, Clifton (31 August 2022). "Ravens Move Two to IR, Sign Kenyan Drake and Brent Urban". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ Mink, Ryan (1 November 2022). "Ravens Activate Tyus Bowser, David Ojabo to 53-Man Roster". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ "David Ojabo 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ Mink, Ryan (30 September 2023). "Ravens Place David Ojabo on Injured Reserve, Sign Kyle Van Noy". BaltimoreRavens.com.
External links
edit
- Career statistics from NFL.com · ESPN · Yahoo Sports
- Baltimore Ravens bio
- Michigan Wolverines bio