[RETRO REWIND] The Wild Card: John Ojukwu
Revisiting this piece from Stoney last summer where he discussed why John Ojukwu's size and athleticism could make him a wild card on the Offensive Line.
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You guys want a deep cut for a name to watch this summer? How about former Boise State Broncos left tackle John Ojukwu? The Tennessee Titans managed to snag him as an un-drafted free agent after he was passed over 259 times. I admit that I didn’t watch much of Ojukwu beyond his performance at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.
I watched his workouts and threw him on my “just guys” list, thinking that he didn’t look so explosive that I absolutely had to watch him. I tend to watch prospects that have something I can really latch onto, and that wasn’t the case here. That was a mistake on my part considering I invested time in watching Tashawn Manning and Raiqwon O’Neal.
Nonetheless, I was still surprised to see that the NFL found Ojukwu unworthy of a draft pick. If I had had time to get around to him, I would have, but I thought for sure that he was deserving of a late-round selection, no less. In that regard, he damn sure appears to be a tremendous value add for the Titans.
However, the road to meaningful NFL action is pretty bumpy for Ojukwu. It comes down to the numbers game on the left side of the line. The Titans have some bodies. Andre Dillard could end up being a stud at left tackle for this team, but I at least acknowledge the fact that he’s still unproven, and that could leave the door open for competition. The team secured another value add in Jaelyn Duncan in the sixth round of this year’s draft. And, the dark horse on the left side is Dillon Radunz. Ojukwu theoretically makes for the 4th left tackle on this roster…maybe even 5th if you think Peter Skoronski has a shot at the job.
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