The Legion of Dr. Doom

The smoke has cleared from the 2023 NFL Draft. As always, the net effects go beyond the players who were drafted. The draft can also impact the players who are already on the roster. In the case of the Ravens’ young pass rushers, Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo, the coast is clear.

Baltimore didn’t draft any real competition to take away from their snaps and playing time. The real threat would have been Nolan Smith from Georgia, who looks every bit like Haason Reddick 2.0. Instead, it was the Eagles that snagged him – even funnier considering Reddick is on the roster – late in the first.

Although the Ravens drafted defensive end Tavius Robinson in the fourth round, he will be more of a hybrid three tech or five tech who could provide some stand up capability. He’s not a threat to steal snaps away from Oweh or Ojabo.

Those two seem destined to hunt quarterbacks in 2023, together again, after playing together at Blair Academy high school in New Jersey. The story almost has a Marvel arch to it. Like the forming of the mini Avengers. But like any great tandem or team, they need a general to lead them. Enter: Chuck Smith, aka, Dr. Rush.

The Ravens invested premium draft capital in Oweh and Ojabo. And for good reason. Both players have the impressive, natural athletic gifts to be dominant edge rushers in this league.

Oweh has shown glimpses. Ojabo was a sure-fire top 15 draft pick prior to tearing his Achilles right before the draft in April 2022. Smith was brought in to coach both of them up to fulfill their immense promise. He’ll be measured by their success. And he seems more than up to the task.

Dr. Rush: Pass Rush Consultant to the Stars

When the Ravens hired Smith, I’ll admit, my first thought wasn’t about him being a private pass-rushing consultant or trainer. I remembered Smith from his days playing with the Atlanta Falcons. Smith was among the “Dirty Birds” top defensive players, a double-digit sack artist, who fell somewhat under the radar because the Falcons didn’t exactly win a lot of games. Although he did anchor their 1999 Super Bowl team.

Learning about Smith’s post-career transition into coaching – specifically teaching the technical aspects of rushing the passer to young defenders – really caught my attention. Who he worked with did as well. Whenever you have Von Miller and Aaron Donald on your list of students, that speaks volumes. You could argue those are the top two defensive players in the league over the last 10-15 years. Smith taught both of those legends of the game the finer points of rushing the passer and adding to their already awesome rush arsenals.

It reminds me of wide receiver guru Keith Williams, who the Ravens brought in as a coach to work with the wide receivers. Williams also worked with Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill independently, and both of those players swore by his impact on their games.

Getting back to Smith, he founded his own training academy, based in Georgia, and it’s been a breeding ground for some of the best in the game since 2002.

There is a science and strategy to rushing the passer. Studying your opponent, understanding their tendencies in down and distance, being able to read and anticipate their moves, and attacking based on those patterns. Smith emphasizes scanning and deciphering the entire battlefield though – even reading quarterbacks, let alone the offensive linemen in front of them.

Smith’s process is nuanced, from hand placement, to how rushers should contort the rest of their body to move around the opposing tackles and interior linemen. For more on Smith’s teaching methods, check out this detailed piece from Jaylon Thompson of USA Today.

He equated the battle in the trenches to playing chess. You need multiple offensive and counter moves to advance across the board.

Oweh: The Chess Piece Who Needs Moves

Between Oweh and Ojabo, it is Oweh who could use those moves to further his game. It’s not that he doesn’t have them. It’s that his arsenal is at times stuck in neutral. Whether that means Oweh isn’t quite sure how to attack or he might be thinking too much, there are times when you see him trying to use his elite physical size and speed to win, but he is stalemated. Then there are other times when he uses a move – a long-arm stab or a straight bull rush – in combination with a fast get off and it has a devastating effect.

Oweh came under fire last season for not showing tremendous progress from his rookie year, in which he was named first-team All Rookie.

He finished with just three sacks in 2022. He looked sluggish at times in the first half of the season. And his overall splash play effect wasn’t quite the same as 2021, when he helped to generate five turnovers.

However, when you take a closer look, you realize he had to overcome several hurdles. First, Oweh had offseason shoulder surgery which hampered his ability to train and practice in the 2022 offseason. For a young player without a ton of football experience – remember, Oweh has only been playing since he was a junior in high school – that makes a difference.

Oweh also took on more responsibility for the defense, especially with injuries to Tyus Bowser and a decimated edge group overall. Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald used the former Penn State star to handle more SAM duties – dropping into coverage and playing in space. Moreover, Oweh is also one of the team’s most valuable edge setters in the run game.

The result was a player who was clearly over-taxed and the pass rush effect suffered. But towards the end of the year, Oweh’s ridiculous physical talent showed up once again. He had his best games of the season against the Cincinnati Bengals in back to back games, including the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

Macdonald employed him in a hybrid role to disrupt quarterback Joe Burrow at the line of scrimmage, and his length was especially a problem to collapse passing windows.

With Smith on board, Oweh’s crazy athleticism could be paired with a more tactical pass rush approach. Oweh has all of the physical tools Smith would ever want to unlock a more savvy pass rusher. If Oweh can take to Smith’s tutelage, he will win plenty of matchups just with a few moves alone. He doesn’t need much. However, he can’t just win with a fast ball every time.

Ojabo: The Chess Piece with the Plan

While Oweh needs more seasoning on his rush plan, Ojabo is the man with the rush plan.

Ojabo is a wiry, fast twitch QB hunter with the speed rush to dip and bend around the corner. While Oweh has a larger frame, Ojabo is built like a traditional edge, in the form of a Brian Burns or even Miller, Smith’s student.

Uniquely, Ojabo also has an array of moves, especially when you consider, like Oweh, he’s only played football since he was a junior in high school, Ojabo marries his speed and first step with basketball-like hesitation moves.

Pop the tape and you’ll see him do a Hakeem Olajuwon “Dream Shake” to dizzy the opposing left tackle. He can stop on a dime and depends on his fast movements to spin tackles like a top. But the crazy part is he doesn’t lose any speed himself, changing directions effortlessly, and moving gracefully to arrive at the quarterback.

david ojabo cooking the bengals. i miss this

pic.twitter.com/2jRa63mTbz

— 𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘 (@AtlanticArctic) March 22, 2023

Ojabo though is coming off a torn Achilles, which can be a devastating injury to any pass rusher. They count on force to launch out of their stance. Although it looked like Ojabo recovered well from the injury by the end of the season, it’s still hard to say exactly where he is physically.

And that’s where Dr. Rush comes into the picture. Ojabo will need to adjust some, especially as the NFL competition will force him out of his comfort zone. He’s also still getting his recognition down. Where Smith shines is helping pass rushers decode those patterns, to read the keys, and anticipate what’s going to happen before the snap.

Ojabo has all the talent to be an elite, pure edge rusher. That said, he doesn’t have the same edge-setting ability as Oweh. He wasn’t as adept at taking on blocks and playing that physical style at Michigan. So he’ll need to hone in on his hand placement and work with Smith to develop his power game to go along with the fast-break pass rushing style.

From Dr. Rush to Dr. Doom

The idea to pair Oweh and Ojabo together was a masterstroke from the front office. The two have familiarity with each other and can lean one another as they come up in the league.

However, both players are on the rawer, less refined side. They need football training and seasoning. Smith seems like the ideal mentor to guide them and mold them into more complete players.

The reality is that the Ravens need to get return on investment from Oweh and Ojabo. They have the chance to be building blocks for the franchise for years to come. The team hasn’t seen a pass-rushing duo with this level of potential since Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil.

Dumervil was affectionately known as “Doom” in Baltimore. And now Dr. Rush has the chance to channel his inner Dr. Doom to unlock the crazy physical gifts of Oweh and Ojabo, and restore pass rushing dominance in Charm City.