Dante Fowler Jr. will be one of the tougher defenders for the Rams to replace in 2020, but they do have a crop of young players who could take his place on the weakside at outside linebacker. Ogbonnia Okoronkwo is definitely among them, along with Terrell Lewis and Samson Ebukam.
Okoronkwo has been putting in a lot of work this offseason despite not being able to train with his teammates or coaches at the Rams’ facility, working on his agility and hand speed. He could be poised for a breakout season if he capitalizes on the opportunity in front of him, possibly becoming a three-down starting edge rusher.
Recently, Okoronkwo was working on hand fighting, which is important when engaging with an offensive lineman. He displays quick and powerful hands in this workout, fighting off the would-be blocker’s initial punch.
His agility looks good, too, after seeing him go through this footwork drill. Footwork is extremely important for an edge rusher, needing to get off the line of scrimmage quickly and being able to turn the corner to get to the quarterback.
It’s part of the reason Aaron Donald is the best pass rusher in football, always exploding off the line and working around blockers quickly.
Here’s another hand-fighting drill by Okoronkwo, working down the field while hitting the hand pads of his trainer. It’s a way to improve hand-eye coordination and to build up hand speed when fighting off blockers.
Okoronkwo is entering his third NFL season but he has yet to really emerge as a reliable contributor. This will be his best opportunity yet, and he’s putting in the work so he can capture the chance to start for the RAms in 2020.
