Texas Football: Eagles get biggest steal of the NFL Draft in Moro Ojomo

The final Texas football player selected in the 2023 NFL Draft was senior defensive lineman Moro Ojomo, who was picked by the Philadelphia Eagles 249th overall in the seventh round on April 29. Ojomo was the second Texas defensive lineman selected on the third day of the draft, and the fifth Texas Ex overall.

I think there is a good argument to be made, though, that Ojomo going late in the seventh round to the Eagles is one of the biggest steals of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Many outlets were projecting Ojomo as a middle-round pick in the draft, including Pro Football Focus and CBS Sports. In fact, Pro Football Focus gave this pick by the Eagles an “elite” grade as Ojomo was the last player picked in the 2023 NFL Draft that was ranked among the top 100 prospects on their big board.

CBS Sports also gave this pick the grade of an “A”, with Chris Trapasso naming Ojomo one of his “draft crushes”.

Eagles get one of the top steals of the 2023 NFL Draft in Texas football DL Moro Ojomo

"Draft crush of mine. One of the purest, up-the-field rushers on the interior in this class. Slippery, effective pass-rush moves and plays with decent power. Love the fit."

Ojomo is a great find for the Eagles in the final round of the draft. He is a well-rounded 6-foot-3 and 295-pound interior defensive lineman that could make an early impact along the defensive front for the Eagles, despite being picked in the seventh round.

He’s got the potential to bulk up a little bit and play as an outside defensive tackle with a quicker first step that can sneak his way through gaps up front. Or, Ojomo could be utilized as a three-tech defensive end that holds his gaps well in run defense and can use a decent array of pass-rush moves and a strong lower base to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Ojomo is more than proven as an effective pass rusher from the defensive tackle position with the Longhorns last season. He actually led the Big 12 in sack rate and ranked second in pressure rate among defensive tackles during the 2022 campaign.

Ojomo doesn’t only make an impact on the pass rush, though. He led all interior defensive linemen in the Big 12 in points above average and positive play percentage in run defense last season, showing his strength in this phase of the game up front.

Last but not least, Ojomo ranked third among Power Five interior defensive linemen in run defense grade in 2022 and in the top five in defensive grade at the position.

If you’re not convinced yet in terms of how good of a draft prospect Ojomo truly is, just take a look at some of the combine numbers. He ranked among the top five defensive tackles in this NFL Draft class in terms of combine numbers at the position, yet there were more than a dozen defensive tackles drafted before him this week.

Ojomo proved on film, on the stat sheet, and during the draft scouting process that he can make a positive impact on multiple phases of the game along the front seven. Yet, the Eagles got an absolute steal by snagging a third or fourth-round caliber player in the final round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Texas had a successful year in the NFL Draft by recent considerations for the program. Star running back Bijan Robinson snapped the first-round drought for the Longhorns, as he was selected by the Atlanta Falcons eighth in the 2023 NFL Draft.