Rookie defensive lineman Charles Omenihu is proving to have been an absolute steal in this year’s draft.
The Houston native was a fifth-round pick by his hometown team earlier this year, and his performances have continued to grab the attention to such an extent that he has been named one of the five Pepsi Rookie of the Week nominees for Week 6.
In Houston’s 31-24 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6, Omenihu recorded a crucial forced fumble, his second in four appearances, which was subsequently recovered by middle linebacker Benardrick McKinney.
The former Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year has been lauded by Pro Football Focus for weeks, with an overall grade of 83.6 so far this season. The rookie was always expected to play a part in this Texans defense at some point, but nobody could have foreshadowed how quickly he would adapt to Romeo Crennel’s system and just how well he would fit in, with two sacks and two forced fumbles in just four appearances.
While this week he goes up against Devin Bush, Terry McLaurin, Miles Sanders, and Kyler Murray for the Pepsi Rookie of the Week award, Omenihu is someone to watch for when the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award comes around at the end of the season.
