Strengths: 

  • Amazing Movement Skills

One of the best parts of Levi Onwuzurike’s game is how mobile he is. He’s only 290 lbs so it allows him to be a quicker guy and he uses that to gain ground on lineman quickly as well as chase down players in pursuit.

  • Great Quickness off the Snap

Onwuzurike does a great job timing the snap and he’s frequently one of the first people after the ball is snapped. He also gets out of his stance very quickly so by the time he’s almost at the offensive line, they are just getting out of their stance.

  • Strong Punch

Levi Onwuzuike’s hands really pack a strong punch and it’s evident how they affect offensive linemen not only when rushing the passer but mainly when delivering quick hits to knock linemen off balance in the run.

  • Eats Up Double Teams

In college Onwuzurike saw a lot of double teams because he was tough to contain just one guy and even with a double team he was still pesky, using his strength and speed to get around double teams on some snaps and keeping the linemen from climbing to the second level in other snaps.

  • Great Reading and Reacting vs Run

Onwuzurike does a great job at identifying what’s going on in the backfield during a run as well identifying the linemen’s technique, and he takes countermeasures that are very effective to beat these linemen.

Weaknesses: 

  • Needs Better Pass Rush Moves

Sometimes Onwuzurike runs without a clear pass rushing plan and almost every snap his go to move is a bull rush. He needs to develop other moves and use them effectively if he wants to be a good interior pass rusher.

  • Struggles to Finish Plays

Levi Onwuzurike does a great job frequently getting penetration but one thing that he really struggles with is finishing plays. This is because of a variety of reasons and this needs to be cleaned up if he wants to be a productive NFL player.

  • High Pad Level

Levi Onwuzurike plays way too upright sometimes and his pads tend to be very high which causes him to frequently lose leverage battles which limits his effectiveness.

  • Won with Strength Only

He was just 290 lbs in college but he had incredible functional strength and in college a lot of the reps he was disruptive were him just purely using his strength but at 290 lbs in the NFL that won’t fly and he’ll have to find other ways to be effective. 

Player Comp: Sheldon Richardson is a guy who’s play style is comparable to Levi Onwuzurike. He’s a guy who is on the smaller size but in return he got great movement skills that he uses in the pass rush and run game. Both guys have a lot of strength for being smaller and they do a phenomenal job reading and reacting to what offensive lineman are doing, especially in the run game. Both guys are a bit one dimensional at times in the pass rush trying to win by just shooting the gap and win with power rather than having a variety of moves. In college Richardson also didn’t finish plays as often as he could in college. Onwuzurike is a bit less athletic and has a pad level issue Richardson didn’t but other than that they are pretty similar.

Final Thoughts: Levi Onwuzurike is a guy that I think I’m a little bit lower on than most but I still like him a lot as a prospect. He has a great blend of strength and speed although how well that strength holds up in the NFL remains to be seen. He is going to be a great aggressive and technically sound player in the run game and although he needs a lot of refinement in the pass rush department, it’s not out of the question that he becomes a solid pass rusher and I think that he’s a guy worth taking in the middle of round 2 rather than the early portion of round 2 like many believe. I think he’s another guy who fits much better as a 4-3 DT and the Lions are a good fit because there he will be able to set the tone as a great run defender which the Lions desperately need on the interior.