Michael Ojemudia Selected By Denver In The 3rd-Round, Broncos Hope He Makes An Impact

By Jordan Long

The Denver Broncos made a lot of moves in the draft to upgrade the offense.  The defense needed work too, especially the secondary.   The Broncos upgraded the cornerback position in the offseason by trading for A.J. Bouye.  The Broncos want someone to play on the other side of Bouye.  It could be Bryce Callahan or De’Vante Bausby.  Denver sought more depth at cornerback and drafted Michael Ojemudia in the 3^rd-round.

                When it comes to 3^rd-round selections in the NFL draft, these are typically players who can start.  Denver decided the best player available was Michael Ojemudia.  Ojemudia played his college football for 4 years at the University of Iowa.

                In his college career, he proved he could defend passes and tackle in the open field.  Ojemudia appeared in 51 games for Iowa.  When a football was thrown his way, Ojemudia batted it down which prevented a catch.  He totaled 23 passes defended with 6 interceptions.   Tackling wasn’t an issue for Ojemudia.  When he had the opportunity to stop a big gain, he grabbed the offensive player and took him to the ground, totaling 125 tackles.

                The Broncos thought Ojemudia was the best player available in the 3^rd-round, 77^th overall.  Ojemudia is going to have his chance to make an immediate impact on the team.  Ojemudia could be the 3^rd cornerback on the team.   If not the 3^rd cornerback, Ojemudia might even contend to be the starting cornerback lined up on the opposite side of Bouye.   He might be one of the Broncos’ fastest cornerbacks on the team, running the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds.

                Denver filled their need at cornerback.  Ojemudia wasn’t a bad selection in the 3^rd-round.  Denver hopes Ojemudia can help this defense.    It shouldn’t take Ojemudia long to learn Ed Donatell’s system.  Denver is mostly a man defense which fits him perfectly. Ojemudia didn’t play a lot of zone defense at Iowa.  When Denver defense goes into zone he will have to adjust his game.

This was a solid pick in the 3^rd-round for Denver.  The grade on it is a C+.  There were other positions Denver should have addressed like offensive tackle with this pick. Denver didn’t upgrade the tackle position at all in the draft.