There is no doubt that Osa Odighizuwa has surprised the skeptics since beginning his career with the Dallas Cowboys. Many people were less than enthusiastic when the Cowboys opted for Odighizuwa, at number 75 overall, as the first of their three picks in the third round of the draft.
However, the Dayton Ohio native, with a Nigerian background, performed way above most people’s expectations when he took his place in the side. He has certainly made an impression as one of several Nigerians who are making their mark on the NFL as discussed by the experts from this site in a recent published news article shared on social media.
However, there is still room for improvement to happen from next season forward. So, will this happen and is it likely that Odighizuwa will build on what he has already achieved? To answer this question, let’s start by looking at the defensive tackle’s career at the Cowboys so far.
Odighizuwa impressed as third-round draft pick
When Dallas announced they were opting to pick Odighizuwa in the third round of the draft there was limited enthusiasm for the decision. This is understandable given that the Cowboys had already picked bigger names like Micah Parsons and Kelvin Joseph. But the defensive tackle from UCLA was set to have a fairly impressive debut season.
Odighizuwa played 54 percent of defensive snaps during the season. This figure was second only to another rookie in Parsons. Odighizuwa certainly took advantage of taking to the field earlier than expected as a result of unexpected injuries.
During his debut season, Odighizuwa posted 36 tackles, two sacks, and 12 quarterback hits. This level of performance certainly showed that he has a lot of potentials. Experts have also noted that Odighizuwa does not act like a rookie. He displays a level of professionalism that belies his lack of NFL experience.
Consistency is a must for progression
As Dallas Cowboys fans start to consider next season, they will be interested to see whether Odighizuwa is able to build on his decent start at the Cowboys. Looking at the fact that most of his impressive play happened in the first half of the 2021 season, there is room for improvement when it comes to consistency.
Having said that, it’s important to appreciate that the return of Neville Gallimore from injury was instrumental in stealing both playing time and stats from Odighizuwa last season, so the apparent dip in performance was not entirely of his making.
But there is still plenty of room for improvement for a player who is entering the second year of a four-year deal that is worth around $5.1 million. In 2022, Odighizuwa will no doubt be hoping for greater consistency of performance as he works towards impressing prior to agreeing to his next deal.
He certainly has plenty of potentials, as he showed last season. Both the player himself, the team, and the fans will be hoping that Odighizuwa manages to fulfill this potential in 2022 and beyond.
