The Ravens selected outside linebacker David Ojabo in the second round (pick No. 45) in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Here are five things to know about Ojabo:
Ojabo Tore His Achilles at His Pro Day
Ojabo's injury at his Pro Day on March 18 cost him a spot in the first round. ESPN's Mel Kiper believes Ojabo would have been a top-15 pick if healthy. It was an unfortunate setback for Ojabo, who was wearing a boot during the draft while watching the television broadcast.
The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Ojabo is still projected to be an excellent NFL player, and the Ravens have acquired a first-round talent with a second-round pick, even if he doesn't recover in time to play in 2022.
Ojabo said he has not been given a timeframe for his recovery, and he has not ruled out playing at some point this season.
"Just working day by day," Ojabo said. "I just keep doing as I'm told.
Ojabo Looks Forward to Reuniting With Mike Macdonald
Ojabo played in just one game and made one tackle as a sophomore. It was the arrival of young11 Defensive Coordinator Mike Macdonald who helped unlock Ojabo's potential.
Ojabo played in 13 games and logged 11 sacks and 12 tackles for loss last season. He forced five fumbles.
The thought of being coached by Macdonald again makes Ojabo feel that joining the Ravens was meant to be. He became emotional when the pick was announced, surrounded by his family.
"It's all scripted, all part of the plan," Ojabo said. "I'm back where I was meant to be.
"Every day, up till now, I'm still learning the game. I guess the way it was explained to me with the addition of Coach Mac and his staff, they just broke down the game differently to me and it made a whole lot of sense."
Ojabo Is Close Friends With Odafe Oweh
The Oweh-Ojabo relationship dates back to their high school days at Blair Academy in New Jersey. Oweh didn't have instant success once he started playing football for the first time in the 11th grade.
Seeing what Oweh did in football inspired Ojabo to knock on the football coach's door at Blair the following season, and the two players have a strong relationship.
"We're in close contact," Ojabo said at the NFL Combine. "We're new to this. We don't have dads who played, uncles who played, friends who played. We have some much wisdom to gain, but we have the athletic ability to be sky high.
"I know he's supporting me regardless. That's my brother, that's my guy. If we were reunited, we'd do our thing to say the least."
Once Ojabo gets healthy, he and Oweh and Ojabo can be bookends in Baltimore's pass rush.
Learning Quickly Has Been a Trademark
Ojabo progressed rapidly for someone who started playing football in 2017. Ojabo is viewed as a player with tremendous upside once he gains more experience. He has already shown a strong variety of pass rush moves for someone relatively new to the sport.
Ojabo doesn't view himself as an instant success in football, but as someone who was willing to work hard enough to improve quickly. During his first few games in high school, Ojabo felt out of his element, but he persevered.
"I won't lie, when I first started in high school I was getting smacked around by little dudes," Ojabo said. "That didn't sit right with me. The toughest thing was the contact aspect. Coming from basketball, if you bump someone it's a foul. Soccer, if you bump someone too hard, it's a foul. Football, if you're not bumping someone, you're not playing.
"My freshman year (at Michigan) I took a big jump when I started playing against future NFL lineman like (Jon) Runyan (Jr.), Cesar Ruiz. That just bettered me even more."
Ojabo Was Born in Nigeria
Born in Nigeria and raised in Scotland, Ojabo didn't move to the United States until he was 15 years old. He is the middle child of three, was raised in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, until the age of 7 when his family moved to Scotland for his father's job.
He grew up playing basketball, soccer and volleyball in Scotland and wanted to maximize his opportunities in those sports, so he left his family and moved to the United States at age 15. Ojabo enrolled at Blair Academy, a private boarding school in New Jersey, and lettered his sophomore year in basketball and soccer before making the transition to football.
He returned to Scotland in March 2020 for a week-long visit with his family but found himself stuck there for three months because of the coronavirus and international travel ban. His mother (Ngor) and father (Victor Sr.) traveled to the United States for the 2021 Big Ten Championship Game, which was the first and only time they have seen their son play football live.
