Femi Oladejo, LB/EDGE, UCLA
Size:
Height: 6032
Weight: 259
Arm: 33 ⅜”
Hand: 9 ¾”
Accomplishments:
Three-star recruit
“Femi Oladejo is a bull in a china shop who can physically impose his will and has a knack for getting into the backfield.”
Strengths:
Effort
Powerful frame
Use of length in the run game
Versatility
Physicality
Concerns:
Inconsistent pad level
Pass-rush timing
Peripheral vision
Raw
Film Analysis:
The former three-star recruit from Cosumnes Oaks High School, Femi Oladejo played defense and tight end. He totaled 24 tackles, 18.0 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, six pass deflections, and four forced fumbles in his two seasons on the varsity team and added 14 receptions for 251 yards and three touchdowns while on offense. He committed to Cal University, where he’d see time at inside and outside linebacker. In 2022, Oladejo started 10 games for the Bears and recorded 91 tackles (second on the team), 4.5 tackles for loss, a sack, one interception, three passes defensed, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. He put up career numbers before transferring to UCLA for his final two seasons, where he’d find himself back at defensive end for the majority of the season in 2024. He moved around the defense for UCLA but had his greatest impact along the defensive line with 57 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, four-and-a-half sacks, and two passes defended.
Oladejo plays the game with an aggression most football players aspire to, but it comes naturally to him. He throws himself into offensive linemen against the run and uses his linebacker-trained eyes to locate the football. He uses his extension well to set the edge and can make quick work of shedding blocks with his honed technique. He needs to shore up his pad level in the run game to remain consistent at the point of the attack and not get washed out of lanes by double teams or powerful linemen. He recognizes concepts well but needs to use his peripheral vision better to pick up split-zone blockers and pullers coming his way to stay upright.
Oladejo lives in the backfield and, if left unblocked, will chase down the play from behind or meet the quarterback and running back at the mesh point to blow it up. With 14 tackles for loss and the ability to accelerate quickly, Oladejo can squeeze into gaps and be a problem for any offense. His aggression can work against him and out-gap himself, but his effort shows up to return to the ball carrier, diving to make the tackle if needed.
At 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, Oladejo is a picture of power with the length to help harness it and deliver strikes to offensive linemen that shock them. Improving his first-step consistency will help better threaten the edge and give him more access to inside counters, but he quickly closes space. While he’s a raw pass rusher and doesn’t consistently get to counters or sequence his moves, the cross-chop is his most effective and favorite to execute. More of a cornering rusher than a bender, Oladejo consistently gets to the edge of his rush path and pressures the quarterback. He still needs to improve his cornering ability to turn pressure into sacks, but he moves quarterbacks off their spots regularly.
The rawness in his pass-rush plan shows up in the timing of moves as he’s often caught off guard with contact from the lineman and has to rush to get to his move, still winning a good amount based on athletic ability and effort. Refining his timing and technique will sharpen his impact and unlock him as a rusher. His versatility to drop into coverage and play in space is an asset to defenses that use simulated pressure and drop linemen into a zone. He’s comfortable in space and knows how to read out receiver routes and close on the quarterback when needed.
Oladejo is a ball of clay with natural football instincts to make plays in the backfield with aggression, power, and quickness. Refining his traits and putting the work in to better his hand usage and timing will yield impressive results. He projects as a versatile defensive end who can play in many capacities in a 4-3 or 3-4 front.
Prospect Projection: Day 2 — Adequate Starter
Written By: Daniel Harms
Exposures: Penn State (2024), USC (2024), Iowa (2024), Nebraska (2024)
