ESPN's Kiper sees Ruke Orhorhoro as "first-round talent"

Ruke Orhorhoro has a couple of ESPN analysts in his corner when it comes to the NFL draft.

by TigerNet Staff - Mon Feb 12 15:58:30 GMT-04:00 2024

Longtime ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. likes what he sees for a potential sleeper in a Clemson defender.

Kiper ranked Ruke Orhorhoro as his No. 8 defensive tackle for the NFL draft this past week, but Kiper says the former Clemson standout has potential for even better than that.

“Here’s a kid with first-round talent, I believe,” Kiper said on an ESPN NFL draft show. “That production – you talk about four sacks two years ago, five sacks this year. Some games a little quiet, when you thought he could be a little more disruptive. But when he was on and he hustles, and he’s got talent. I think he’s a late developer…He’s an underrated guy from the standpoint of what he could be when he’s coached up and gets more experience.

“His family moved from Nigeria to the United States when he was 9. He was in the prep ranks at Michigan playing basketball. Here’s a guy who doesn’t even play football until his junior year of high school. This is a kid who comes into Clemson, and he shows signs, those flashes of brilliance at times.”

Orhorhoro earned All-ACC honors over each of the last two seasons, where he tallied nine sacks (16 total TFLs) and six pass breakups over 26 games (21 starts).

“He’s quick. He’s explosive. He hustles,” Kiper said. “I mean he can shoot in there, and boy he closes and finishes quickly, getting after that quarterback, getting into that backfield, wreaking havoc, but you don’t see on as consistent enough basis.

“That’s why I think Orhorhoro, third round, maybe fourth round. Maybe somebody reaches a little bit because of the talent. When he tests, he will test really well. People will love this kid. He’s smart, he wants to be great. Maybe they reach a little bit, and say, 'Hey, this defensive tackle group isn’t what we thought'…they push him to the second round. So let’s see.

“But he’s going to be a really interesting kid, because I don’t think you’ve seen yet what he can be. And defensive line coaches will say, ‘Give me that kid with the smarts and the work ethic and the passion for the game.’”

Fellow ESPN analyst Field Yates agreed.

“You’re right, the best days are certainly ahead for Ruke,” Yates said. “I think the power always shows up more than anything else..When he gets his hand on interior offensive linemen, he can control the point of attack. We don’t play in an NFL where too many defensive schemes are calling for players to have multiple gaps…But for a team with a more old-school nature, Ruke Orhorhoro may fit perfectly into a defense like that. Maybe a Pittsburgh is one of the teams that comes to mind that still has some of that old school style to them.”