Keep Texans Talk Google Ad Free!
Venmo Tip Jar | Paypal Tip Jar
Thanks for your support! 🍺😎👍

Louisville DT Amobi Okoye

G

GoHornsGo

Practice Squad
I am a new poster to the forums but have been a frequent guest for over a year. Now that I got that out - here is my thought:

Amobi Okoye. The Texans need a run-stopping, defensive line push up the middle. After watching game film, this guy is very impressive and I believe strongly deserves consideration at the 8 spot as he would fill this void. I think he has the potential to be better than Branch. He is an absolute monster on defense. This would solidify our front 4 on D for many years to come. Amobi is 19 yrs old to boot.

AP would be a great pick and I wouldn't complain but I think shoring up the defense should continue to be the top priority. Watching the Bears manhandle the saints running offense and thus whip the Saints only added to my conviction. In fact, Grossman was horrendous for half of his games this year (kind of like Carr) and look where da bears are as of today - Super bowl bound. Incidently, they have a top five pick RB and a mid-round RB sharing carries - and the top five pick RB is still not even the starter.

Anyway, I have not seen much discussion on Amobi thus far and think he merits strong consideration for our first round pick.

Picking up Corey Redding to upgrade the other DT spot would just add fuel to this fire - and may even change my opinion to draft a RB first.
 
GoHornsGo said:
I am a new poster to the forums but have been a frequent guest for over a year. Now that I got that out - here is my thought:

Amobi Okoye. The Texans need a run-stopping, defensive line push up the middle. After watching game film, this guy is very impressive and I believe strongly deserves consideration at the 8 spot as he would fill this void. I think he has the potential to be better than Branch. He is an absolute monster on defense. This would solidify our front 4 on D for many years to come. Amobi is 19 yrs old to boot.

AP would be a great pick and I wouldn't complain but I think shoring up the defense should continue to be the top priority. Watching the Bears manhandle the saints running offense and thus whip the Saints only added to my conviction. In fact, Grossman was horrendous for half of his games this year (kind of like Carr) and look where da bears are as of today - Super bowl bound. Incidently, they have a top five pick RB and a mid-round RB sharing carries - and the top five pick RB is still not even the starter.

Anyway, I have not seen much discussion on Amobi thus far and think he merits strong consideration for our first round pick.

Picking up Corey Redding to upgrade the other DT spot would just add fuel to this fire - and may even change my opinion to draft a RB first.
Click to expand...

Stopping the run will be an integral need if the Texans hope to move out of the AFC Cellar next year.

Getting a DT through free agency would really help. IMO, the DT spot is not very deep, so I don't like taking one unless it's the first or second round. Getting a DT late in the draft will not help the Texans.
 
I don't know much about this kid but from everything I've read could be great. I wouldn't mind us picking AP at all but am kind of hoping he isn't there for us so there isn't all this talk if we pass on him. At the same time though...If he is there at 8 it would probably be easier to trade down with someone that would want him. maybe Green Bay if they'd much rather have him than lynch. At this point I can ...we can only speculate but I've seen Amobi lasting to their pick in many mocks. All this can change after the combine and all though. I think if AP is there it'd be easier to trade down and there would be a few guys that we were targeting at 8 that would be there. maybe like a safety -landry/nelson, a cb, de, dt, lb, ol...could go levi brown or okoye if he's there.
 
we could be onto something - building the best defense may be our best offense. The ravens and bears are winning teams without good QBs (no offense to aging McNair or the Raven QB Superbowl winner).

I know we have lots of money tied up in our front 4. You can't run a business by worrying about this thought IMO. That's like asking a couple of dummies to stay on and run the great GE - shareholders wouldn't put up with this - or like keeping a terrible college coach just cuz he has a contract. The fact is we made a FO mistake by hiring them, now we must pay for that mistake and replace them with real talent.

Just think where we could be if we had a different front office...... I believe Shawn Merriman instead of TJ for instance.
 
He is a mid to late 1st. Some say overrated. He would not be that much of an upgrade to the players already on the roster. Probable bust.
 
Texian said:
He is a mid to late 1st. Some say overrated. He would not be that much of an upgrade to the players already on the roster. Probable bust.
Click to expand...

If you are talking about Okoye, you are wrong IMO. He is a beast. He is a mid first round talent at 19 y/o. That isn't adding in projections. The kid is that good now. He has proven to be more of a pennatrator than I originally gave him credit for. Super strong and quick. He is an upgrade to every single DT on our roster, even Weaver.
 
YoungTexanFan said:
If you are talking about Okoye, you are wrong IMO. He is a beast. He is a mid first round talent at 19 y/o. That isn't adding in projections. The kid is that good now. He has proven to be more of a pennatrator than I originally gave him credit for. Super strong and quick. He is an upgrade to every single DT on our roster, even Weaver.
Click to expand...

Agreed. At first I was against him because of the 301. My first reaction was against the bigger maulers of the NFL at gaurd he would struggel. After watching him play he is a very strong guy. If he is an Elvin Bethea type guy, small but very powerful, he would make a very nice addition to the line. Let's see what the guy lifts at the combine. Incognito of St. Louis is still a loose cannon. But the guy is a very powerful man. If that is what Okoye brings, I think he is a legit first round guy. Probably why he isn't being disscussed here. Most of us consider him to be off the board by the time we come up in the second with the forty pick. I also like the Utah DT, Paul Solari. Very disruptive powerful man with a temper.
 
YoungTexanFan said:
If you are talking about Okoye, you are wrong IMO. He is a beast. He is a mid first round talent at 19 y/o. That isn't adding in projections. The kid is that good now. He has proven to be more of a pennatrator than I originally gave him credit for. Super strong and quick. He is an upgrade to every single DT on our roster, even Weaver.
Click to expand...

Agreed, Okoye is definitely a 1st round pick. He would be a great addition to the Dline. Although Peterson is my choice at #8, I would not be disappointed in the least if we somehow got Okoye.

As I've said before, if we pass on Peterson, as long as it's for Anderson, Okoye, or a great trade-down scenario, I will be fine with it.:twocents:
 
GoHornsGo said:
Just think where we could be if we had a different front office...... I believe Shawn Merriman instead of TJ for instance.
Click to expand...
I don't think we were in contention to get him anyway. If I'm not mistaken, Merriman went #12 to the Chargers and we originally had #13 before the fateful trade down with the Saints to #15.
 
Okoye weighed in at 287. He lifts 30 or above, I won't be concered over the weight. He runs in the 4.7's...that there thing is a DE.
 
He's also a very young player. He's only 20 I believe. I would love to have him, but DT is a difficult position to scout. 1st round DTs bust pretty regularly...
 
Much of the hype about Okoye is because of how young he is.

I believe he is worth a 1st round pick, but only late in the 1st.

The good thing about him is that he could be on a roster for 2 years and still be as young as the incoming draft.

IMO, he is overrated because of this. He is a good player, but I definitely put him behind Branch and Pitcock and only a little bit ahead of DeMarcus Tyler (NC St).
 
Finally, the most surprising result of this morning's weigh-in process may well have been the weight loss of Louisville DT Amobi Okoye. Listed as 305 pounds from last spring's measuring for NFL scouts, Okoye showed up in Mobile weighing a slender 287 pounds. While he looks to be in good shape, Okoye may have turned some teams off that viewed him as a bigger interior presence.
 
Texian said:
Finally, the most surprising result of this morning's weigh-in process may well have been the weight loss of Louisville DT Amobi Okoye. Listed as 305 pounds from last spring's measuring for NFL scouts, Okoye showed up in Mobile weighing a slender 287 pounds. While he looks to be in good shape, Okoye may have turned some teams off that viewed him as a bigger interior presence.
Click to expand...

A lot of teams will probably try to have him move to DE.
 
ive read that so far hes been unblockable in the senior bowl practices..i also wouldnt mind spending #8 on him if hes as good as reported
 
Iowa's Marshal Yanda also more than held his own against a very talented group of North defensive ends and Manuel Ramirez of Texas Tech got the best of Amobi Okoye in a matchup that I witnessed.

The North defense definitely fared a whole lot better than their offensive counterparts and while Louisville's Okoye is not physically opposing and did struggle at times he showed some flashes and displayed outstanding leadership qualities, pumping up his teammates on multiple occasions.

http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/features/seniorbowl/reports/north122.html
 
Amobi Okoye is so athletic with skill moves I see him as a strongside (LDE) 4-3 tackle, not sure if the Texans would move Mario to RDE & select Amobi with that 8th pick? seems like overkill, but I do see him becoming a star in the NFL for some team :bubble:
 
beerlover said:
Amobi Okoye is so athletic with skill moves I see him as a strongside (LDE) 4-3 tackle, not sure if the Texans would move Mario to RDE & select Amobi with that 8th pick? seems like overkill, but I do see him becoming a star in the NFL for some team :bubble:
Click to expand...

Agreed. I saw that too. A taller faster, won't say stronger, squaty. Elvin Bethea. What a perfect compiment guy to go with Mario. See what he runs at the combine. Someone as you said is going to get a young fair prospect with the guy. He's going to be a beast to block for the slower OTs.
 
Please take time to watch Louisville's bowl game. You will see that Amobi is a beast, disrupting tons of plays during the bowl game.

I did not see this from Branch or any other defensive lineman in bowl games. He is a beast and I encourage all on this board to take a hard look. He could be the ideal pick to line up next to Mario.
 
the beat writer for the Texans Website (Carmine Perrone?) who is in Mobile said on 610 tonight that Okoye has been owning the opposition in a big way in the practices so far. definately another legit option, but i'd prefer to get him around when Baltimore scooped up Haloti Ngata last year at #12.
 
yeah it looks like Okoye is tearing it up in practice. This is from the article on the Texans website.

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/detail.php?PRKey=3300&section=N Latest News

News and Notes: Louisville defensive tackle Amobi Okoye was the talk of practice Tuesday morning. Okoye dominated several North offensive linemen in one-on-one drills and is lighting quick even at 312 pounds and just 19 years of age… Cal defensive back Daymeion Hughes has earned the respect of the North quarterbacks. All three agreed Tuesday that he was the best corner on the field Tuesday…Rutgers running back Brian Leonard has been taking snaps at both running back and fullback through two days of practices…Temperatures failed to reach 50 for the second consecutive day Tuesday.
 
I want to know what yall think he is. I mean, before this week he was this big, nasty gap eating 19 year old defensive tackle, and now after he has weighed in at 287, all of a sudden he is a defensive end? WTH? I don't know what to think.

This weight at weigh in remains to be the biggest surprise of the Senior Bowl to me thus far.
 
Texan_Aggie222 said:
I want to know what yall think he is. I mean, before this week he was this big, nasty gap eating 19 year old defensive tackle, and now after he has weighed in at 287, all of a sudden he is a defensive end? WTH? I don't know what to think.

This weight at weigh in remains to be the biggest surprise of the Senior Bowl to me thus far.
Click to expand...

I think we'll know more in 2 1/2 months...lol
 
The first time I saw Okoye in action, the image of Dwight Freeney came to mind. Am I the only one who sees this similarity ?
 
for fun, lets say draft day comes and at #8, okoye and AP are the BPA's left, who do we take???

personally, right now, id take okoye
 
Maddict5 said:
for fun, lets say draft day comes and at #8, okoye and AP are the BPA's left, who do we take???
personally, right now, id take okoye
Click to expand...
I dunno, but a 19 year-old pass-rushing phenom (actually he'll be 20 in June),
at weakside DE and 22 year-old Mario at strongside DE would be pretty impressive bookends for our DLine
now and for a long time into the future.
 
Okoye is a DT. If you want to move him outside and make him a DE then there are about 5-6 guys ahead of him who are better pass rushers than Okoye.
 
Texian said:
Okoye is a DT. If you want to move him outside and make him a DE then there are about 5-6 guys ahead of him who are better pass rushers than Okoye.
Click to expand...

Exactly.

We'd have two Strong side DE's and no pass rush.
 
nunusguy said:
I dunno, but a 19 year-old pass-rushing phenom (actually he'll be 20 in June),
at weakside DE and 22 year-old Mario at strongside DE would be pretty impressive bookends for our DLine
now and for a long time into the future.
Click to expand...

I like Okoye, but I think #8 is a bit high. At a similar size, with some questions about position, Tommie Harris went #14 with a ridiculous college resume and ran a 4.68. They are both high character guys... but I don't think Okoye (projected to run a 5.1+) is quite the prospect that Harris was.

Okoye had a great year at just age 19, and his numbers are similar to the ones Harris put up all three years. Harris was playing tougher comp, with a bigger target, so I'm inclined to believe Harris' stats were a little harder to come by. I think Okoye can definitely improve and be elite, but if he's neither huge or overwhelmingly athletic... it's tough to justify taking him that high. Without knowing the intimate details of d-line play, he seems like a younger, less athletic Tommie Harris (that's no insult). He'll be getting paid huge money up front and needs to make an immediate impact... so the age thing, while nice, isn't everything it's made up to be.

I hope Okoye shocks everybody and tests extremely well... I think under those conditions he is a justifiable #8 pick. Right now, as things stand, I like Russell,Peterson, or Thomas, if available, and a trade down to mid-1st (Okoye territory!) or a S.

Also, compare Haloti Ngata, 6'5", 338 lbs, ran a a 5.0, benched 505, squatted 615, and went to the Ravens at #12.
 
I just do not see the D line as needing another high pick. Travis Johnson was supposedly doing much better in 2nd half before injury. Remember this guy has been thru coaching changes. Last year we got Mario & Weaver. Neither Peek nor Babin imo have met my expectations. One or both may be gone. No one has said Paine is gone & he may prove to have some downs left in him. Cochran has been mentioned @ DE especially if peek or Babin goes.
 
Dr. Toro said:
I like Okoye, but I think #8 is a bit high. At a similar size, with some questions about position, Tommie Harris went #14 with a ridiculous college resume and ran a 4.68. They are both high character guys... but I don't think Okoye (projected to run a 5.1+) is quite the prospect that Harris was.

Okoye had a great year at just age 19, and his numbers are similar to the ones Harris put up all three years. Harris was playing tougher comp, with a bigger target, so I'm inclined to believe Harris' stats were a little harder to come by. I think Okoye can definitely improve and be elite, but if he's neither huge or overwhelmingly athletic... it's tough to justify taking him that high. Without knowing the intimate details of d-line play, he seems like a younger, less athletic Tommie Harris (that's no insult). He'll be getting paid huge money up front and needs to make an immediate impact... so the age thing, while nice, isn't everything it's made up to be.
Click to expand...

hypothetically, would you trade the #8 pick for tommie harris (well a very similiar player at least)??




*rhetorical- no need to answer*
 
Maddict5 said:
hypothetically, would you trade the #8 pick for tommie harris (well a very similiar player at least)??




*rhetorical- no need to answer*
Click to expand...

I would trade the #8 pick for the prospect Tommie Harris, but not a prospect who lacks his otherworldy athleticism but may prove to be just as good.

If I were locked in to DLine at #8 I would take Gaines Adams.
 
Would you use the #8 for a player you thought could be another Dwight
Freeney ? And Freeney went almost that high anyway, #11 back in 2002, before anybody knew he'd be what he became.
And Freeney is the player to
compare Okoye to, not Harris. Don't care what he played at Louisville, he'll
be on the outside at DE in the NFL.
 
nunusguy said:
Would you use the #8 for a player you thought could be another Dwight
Freeney ? And Freeney went almost that high anyway, #11 back in 2002, before anybody knew he'd be what he became.
And Freeney is the player to
compare Okoye to, not Harris. Don't care what he played at Louisville, he'll
be on the outside at DE in the NFL.
Click to expand...

Again, Freeney ran a 4.48, Okoye is expected to run around a 5.1 or a 5.0. Combine tests arent everything, but that's a huge difference.
 
Dr. Toro said:
I would trade the #8 pick for the prospect Tommie Harris, but not a prospect who lacks his otherworldy athleticism but may prove to be just as good.

If I were locked in to DLine at #8 I would take Gaines Adams.
Click to expand...

okoye is very athletic and may be an even better pass-rusher than harris...i dont know will we take him..i kinda hope we do but i dont think its too much of a stretch to say he may even be gone by the time we're picking
 
Dr. Toro said:
Again, Freeney ran a 4.48, Okoye is expected to run around a 5.1 or a 5.0. Combine tests arent everything, but that's a huge difference.
Click to expand...


i thought it was a 4.68 but again not certain, plus some1 (kast or ytf) posted that hes expected to run a 4.7 (not sure if this is right but i think its as possible as him running a 5.1- where did that come from?)
 
nunusguy said:
Have you seen Okoye, along with these other 5-6 guys in action ?
Click to expand...

Adams, Anderson, Johnson, Moss are not at the senior bowl. If you watched these guys in their bowl games you might be less likely to jump on the Okoye DE bandwagon. Okoye reminds me of two very good DTs Coleman and Holiday. Let's see what he runs at the combine before we put the crown on him.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top