3. Odafe Oweh and Daelin Hayes
We knew rookie Odafe Oweh was good, but we didn’t know he was that good. So far in training camp, he’s had spectator’s heads on a swivel with every move and play.
He ran the 40-yard dash in a whopping 4.36 seconds, and suffice to say, he brought that speed with him to camp. Too many times he burned around the edge, untouched, as he chased quarterbacks all the way to the sidelines.
Oweh has the physical profile of a bonafide pass-rushing star, but he just lacks experience. In his final season at Penn State, he didn’t record a single sack, but he’s still projected to enjoy a relatively productive season.
Ravens rookie pass rushers Odafe Oweh and Daelin Hayes both won a couple of 1-on-1 duels vs. OL, who usually have the upper hand.
— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) July 29, 2021
Oweh beat Alejandro Villanueva with a sweet spin. Hayes did the same to rookie Foster Sarell.
It’s hard not to get exited about Odafe Oweh when you read notes like this:
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) August 7, 2021
Per @jeffzrebiec: “Oweh easily beat Phillips to sack Lamar Jackson…The offense obviously didn’t want it to happen again, so later in practice, Oweh was triple teamed.”
Triple teaming a rookie. Respect.
The Ravens will need his superhuman athleticism on the edge, and they need his sidekick, fellow rookie Daelin Hayes, as well.
The fifth-round pick out of Notre Dame hasn’t shone as brightly as Oweh, and he likely won’t get a starting spot. Doesn’t mean the grind stops, though.
Throughout camp, Hayes showed stellar pass-rush abilities in full field reps with the speed and savvy-ness to explode from the snap and get around the edge to the quarterback. He knows how to shed blockers to stuff the run, and like Oweh, his quickness is a lot to handle.
Whatever worries Baltimore had about losing two of their best veteran pass-rushers this offseason is slowly dissipating in these rookies’ presences.
For a Ravens pass-rushing unit with a lot of age and wisdom (Pernell McPhee, Justin Houston), Oweh and Hayes are showing the others how it’s done. Take notes.