Silver And Black Pride
Diving into what the UCLA pass rusher could bring to Las Vegas
While the Las Vegas Raiders don’t have an immediate need for an edge-rusher after re-signing Malcolm Koonce this offseason, the defense could use a long-term solution since Koonce is only on a one-year deal. That’s likely a big reason the Raiders brought UCLA pass-rusher Oluwafemi Oladejo in for a Top 30 visit ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Oladejo is more of a project as he’s still new to the position. He played off-ball linebacker during his first three years in college (two at Cal and one at UCLA) and didn’t switch spots until Week 4 of this past season. However, he has some impressive traits to work with and posted solid statistics during his limited time on the edge.
According to Pro Football Focus, the former Bruin logged 33 pressures on 325 pass-rush snaps. Additionally, he managed to rack up 23 ‘defensive stops’ as a run defender which tied for the fifth-most among Big 10 edge defenders. Not bad for someone who was learning the position on the fly.
Given the Raiders’ interest, the numbers above and his connection to Chip Kelly, let’s see what Oladejo could bring to Las Vegas.
Right now, Oladejo’s best pass-rush move is the cross-chop. He combines athleticism with quick hands to beat offensive tackles around the edge and the clip above is a great example.
Oladejo sets the move up well by stemming inside post-snap to get to square on the offensive tackle and have a two-way go (meaning he can use an outside or inside move). Once he squares the tackle up, he has the quickness and athleticism to pivot to the tackle’s outside shoulder.
Then, he uses his inside hand/arm to knock the tackle’s hands down to win outside and create a shorter edge. Finally, the pass-rusher’s bend at the top of the rush allows him to take an efficient path to the quarterback.
While he doesn’t get the sack here, he forces the quarterback to step up in the pocket where the defensive tackle can escape and clean up the play.
Here, we get another good example of how effective Oladejo’s cross-chop is. The rep above highlights how he sets the move up during the stem phase of the rush.
Off the snap, he attacks or runs at the right tackle rather than going straight up the field. That keeps the tackle from working wide out of his stance, creating a shorter edge. Then, Oladejo uses his athleticism to pivot outside and defeats the tackle’s hands with the cross-chop. That, combined with the shorter edge, gives him a clear and efficient path to the quarterback.
While the ball is out before the pass-rusher can hit home, reps like this one will turn into sacks with better coverage on the backend of the defense.
The UCLA product is still refining his pass-rush arsenal, but he’s shown impressive quickness to develop a few inside moves as a counter to the...
