David Ojabo

Scottish-Nigerian gridiron football player (born 2000)

American football player
David Ojabo
refer to caption
Ojabo with the Michigan Wolverines in 2021
No. 90 – Baltimore Ravens
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (2000-05-17) 17 May 2000 (age 24)
Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:252 lb (114 kg)
Career information
High school:Blair
(Blairstown, New Jersey)
College:Michigan (2019–2021)
NFL draft:2022 / round: 2 / pick: 45
Career history
  • Baltimore Ravens (2022–present)
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 1, 2024
Total tackles:8
Sacks:3.0
Forced fumbles:2
Player stats at PFR

David Ojabo (born 17 May 2000) is a Nigerian American football linebacker. He has played for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL) since being selected in the second round (45th overal pick) of the 2022 NFL draft. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines from 2019 to 2021. He received second-team All-America honors in 2021 and was selected as a first-team player on the 2021 All-Big Ten Conference football team.

Early years

Ojabo was born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, in 2000 and moved to Aberdeen, Scotland with his family in 2007.[1][2][3] At 17, he moved to Blairstown, New Jersey, in the United States and began attending Blair Academy.[4][5] He initially played basketball before switching to American football.[3] Ojabo committed to the University of Michigan to play college football[6] in part because the Michigan weather was similar to Scotland and made him feel at home.[3]

College career

Ojabo did not play his first year at Michigan in 2019. As a sophomore in 2020, he played in six games and made one tackle. Ojabo took over as a starter in 2021.[7][8] On January 4, 2022, he announced that he would forgo his senior year and enter the draft.[9]

While performing on Pro Day at Michigan, Ojabo suffered a left ankle injury while performing a drill. It was later confirmed that he had suffered a torn Achilles.[10]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 4 in
(1.93 m) 		250 lb
(113 kg) 		33+1⁄2 in
(0.85 m) 		9 in
(0.23 m)		 4.55 s 1.59 s 2.64 s 4.45 s 35.0 in
(0.89 m)		 10 ft 2 in
(3.10 m)
All values from NFL Combine[11][12]

Ojabo was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round, 45th overall, of the 2022 NFL draft.[13] He was placed on injured reserve on 31 August 2022 as he continued to recover from the Achilles injury he suffered in March.[14] He was activated on 1 November.[15] He recorded his first sack in Week 18 in of the 2022 season against the Bengals.[16]

On 30 September 2023, Ojabo was placed on injured reserve.[17]

References

  1. ^ Sang, Orion (15 July 2020). "Michigan football's David Ojabo thought he'd be in Scotland a week. He has been there 3 months". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  2. ^ Cryle, Ryan (18 July 2020). "David Ojabo eager to continue American football rise with Michigan Wolverines after three months stranded in Westhill". Press and Journal. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "From Africa, to Aberdeen, to the NFL". BBC Sport. 4 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  4. ^ Hunt, Todderick (9 February 2018). "Lightning strikes twice at Blair, which boasts DE Ojabo". NJ.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  5. ^ Farrell, Perry A. (5 July 2018). "From Nigeria to Scotland to N.J., how David Ojabo became Michigan commit". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  6. ^ Baumgardner, Nick (2 July 2018). "Michigan football: 3-star DE David Ojabo commits to robust 2019 class". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  7. ^ Kahn, Andrew (24 September 2021). "Nigeria-born, Scotland-raised, Michigan football LB continues remarkable rise". mlive.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  8. ^ Chengelis, Angelique S. (23 September 2021). "Michigan's David Ojabo plays with sense of urgency after getting stuck overseas". Detroit News. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  9. ^ VanHaaren, Tom (4 January 2022). "Michigan pass-rusher Ojabo entering NFL draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  10. ^ VanHaaren, Tom (19 March 2022). "Michigan LB David Ojabo suffered torn Achilles during pro day, could miss six months, source says". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  11. ^ "David Ojabo Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  12. ^ "David Ojabo, Michigan, DE, 2022 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  13. ^ Brown, Clifton (29 April 2022). "Five Things to Know About David Ojabo". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  14. ^ Brown, Clifton (31 August 2022). "Ravens Move Two to IR, Sign Kenyan Drake and Brent Urban". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  15. ^ Mink, Ryan (1 November 2022). "Ravens Activate Tyus Bowser, David Ojabo to 53-Man Roster". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  16. ^ "David Ojabo 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  17. ^ Mink, Ryan (30 September 2023). "Ravens Place David Ojabo on Injured Reserve, Sign Kyle Van Noy". BaltimoreRavens.com.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to David Ojabo.
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