Cincinnati Bengals draft Joseph Ossai: Bengals add relentless motor off the edge
The Cincinnati Bengals selected University of Texas edge rusher Joseph Ossai in the third round with the No. 69 pick of the NFL Draft on Friday.
Motor, motor, motor, motor. No matter what you read or who you talk to about Ossai, his play speed always being full throttle through the whistle is where the conversation starts. His energy makes up for some stiffness in his bend and lack of fluidity in his change of direction. But he’s a finisher and goes full blast trying to deliver big blows. A fun player to watch.
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“I just describe (my style) as relentless,” Ossai said. “Fearless and relentless because I am not afraid of anybody on that field and I can’t wait to prove that.”
At 6-foot-4, 256 pounds, he’s a touch smaller than Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard, but not by much. He’s a dynamic, still raw athlete who posted a ridiculous pro day, landing in the 99th percentile for vertical (42 inches) and broad jump (132 inches). He also ran a 4.62 40-yard dash.
Big Board ranking: Ossai was No. 47 on Dane Brugler’s Top 300 prospects.
Introduction: Ossai came to the United States from Nigeria in 2009 after his family won a lottery to become American residents. He developed into a four-star defensive end recruit and picked Texas. Two of his younger brothers also play football. None at the level of Ossai, however, who racked up the most tackles for loss and forced fumbles in the Big 12 last year. He also led the Longhorns in sacks (5.0). He came on at the end of the season before opting out of the bowl game when he spent more time with his hand on the ground as an edge rusher after a lot of time at linebacker.
“I’m still developing,” Ossai said. “I was a pass rusher in high school. My first two years I was asked to stand up and do a little more dropping. Third year, asked to rush the passer more. I don’t mind it. I didn’t mind the switch up. I do know I need a little bit more refining and that’s something I am open to doing. I love working. Working hard is my M.O.”
Story: Max Olsen wrote this piece about Ossai, the Texas edge rusher whose motor never stops running.
How he fits: Ossai will show up immediately as the rotational third pass rusher. Think of it like the Carl Lawson role before Carlos Dunlap left town. The Bengals still view that as a starting position and it was left wide open after most of their free-agent acquisitions came in the secondary. He also brings positional flexibility to drop into coverage and use the linebacker skills he showed also playing that position for the Longhorns to use a different weapon in certain subpackages. But make no mistake what he is in Cincinnati to do.
“First and foremost, he can rush and that’s the most important thing,” defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said.
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Second guess?: Would have been easy to justify a second swing at offensive line here. The Bengals reached a round early for Jackson Carman in the second round, according to our Dane Brugler big board, but could have gone in again with tackle Brady Christensen from BYU, who was taken one pick later by the Panthers. But if still looking to improve the pass rush, this came down to a positional battle between the open three-technique backup spot and edge rusher spot. Milton Williams of Louisiana and Alim McNeill of NC State were talented defensive tackles still on the board, but the Bengals went for the relentless edge piece.
Rookie impact: Ossai will absolutely be playing this season. Look for passing down situations to maybe even feature Hubbard kicking inside with Ossai and Hendrickson on the outside. Also, expect his usage as an outside linebacker standing up and dropping in certain situations to be an option. Either way, the Bengals will love to have his tenacity on the field.
Depth chart impact: There’s no real demotion that will take place on the depth chart because this spot was vacated. The Bengals really replaced Dunlap with Trey Hendrickson and this is more of replacing Lawson’s original role that he shined in before moving on to the Jets. You just can’t have enough pass rushers, something the Bengals are all too aware of with their league-low sacks last season.
Fast evaluation: This is a solid pick for a clear need. The Bengals checked off their three biggest needs in this draft in the first three rounds and now can start the process of doubling up at some of those spots, specifically offensive line. The type of relentless energy associated with Ossai’s game is the exact type of player coach Zac Taylor continues to try to bring in. High energy, hard worker, going after the ball every play. Hubbard has made a living on it. Dunlap battled with the staff and left town because of it. They value it. Very few prospects in this draft have the motor of Ossai at any position, and that’s a valuable asset.
Keep up with The Athletic’s latest NFL Draft coverage:
LIVE BLOG: The latest from the NFL Draft
ROUND 2-3 PICK BY PICK: Dane Brugler’s analysis
DRAFT GRADES: Sheil Kapadia’s report cards
BIG BOARD: Best available players remaining
ROUND 1: Brugler’s analysis | Kapadia’s grades
(Photo: Troy Taormina / USA Today)
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