Guest BlackJesus Posted January 25, 2007 Report Posted January 25, 2007 [b]Throughout the off-season ... I will inevitably develop a series of hetero sexual football related man-crushes on a number of prospects. The first guy that has caught me eye is ....[/b] [b][center][size=6][color="#FF0000"]DT Amobi Okoye[/color][/size] [img]http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/30/305826.jpg[/img][/center][/b] [color="#FF0000"][b][size=4][center] Louisville Senior 6'1 287 lbs [size=3]@ Senior Bowl Practice (played at 317 lbs)[/size] Age = [size=6]19[/size] ! [/center][/size][/b][/color] [size=3][b][u]Notes:[/u][/b][/size] - Amobi Okoye [b]signed to play at Louisville at just 15[/b] years of age and [b]played[/b] his first collegiate game for Louisville [b]at 16 years old[/b] (youngest college player ever). - Was team captain of Louisville at [b]19 [/b] - Had [b]49 tackls and 6 sacks last seaon[/b] as a senior - [b]Very smart[/b] ... [b]tested into the ninth grade as a 12-year-old[/b] when his family moved to Huntsville from Nigeria - Took up the sport as a highschool sophomore, knowing next to nothing about the game ... and started 13 games on the defensive line as a 13-year-old (playing both ways and earning all state mention) - As a highschool senior logged 60 tackles and nine sacks, earning first-team All-State honors on both sides of the ball [size=3][u]Positives: [/u][/size] Louisville has a recent tradition of big, physical defensive tackles, and Okoye may be the best of the bunch. He is extremely strong, able to clog holes against the run by willingly taking on multiple blockers and driving them back. Okoye will also use his sheer strength to push linemen back into the pocket before he disengages to bring down a runner or the QB. Plays with his head and rarely makes significant mistakes. He could be [b]able to play the nose tackle[/b] position in either the 3-4 or 4-3 fronts. [size=3] [u]Overview: [/u][/size] A very intriguing prospect, especially considering how skilled he is despite being as raw as he is at only 20 years old when he'll report to his first NFL training camp. He has outright boom-or-bust potential, and will make a team in the mid-to-late first either very very happy or very very upset. [center][b]- Discuss [/b][/center]
Jamie_B Posted January 25, 2007 Report Posted January 25, 2007 It would be a good pick, but I think hell be gone by the time we pick.
Palmer4HOF Posted January 25, 2007 Report Posted January 25, 2007 I like him, but I think we have bigger needs at DE and Corner
Jamie_B Posted January 25, 2007 Report Posted January 25, 2007 [quote name='Palmer4HOF' post='432771' date='Jan 25 2007, 10:27 AM']I like him, but I think we have bigger needs at DE and Corner[/quote] If justin does get tagged, maybe not DE. But CB I tend to agree, however if the question is a matter of value and there arent really any CBs that are the same value as this guy at DT. Does BPA rule out?
Jason Posted January 25, 2007 Report Posted January 25, 2007 Looks like BJ's not a "Size Queen" anymore.
Stevie Richards Posted January 25, 2007 Report Posted January 25, 2007 I've always liked Okoye. But one name I keep hearing this week is Adam Carriker, DE. He measured in at 6'5" 292 and word is he's having maybe one of the best weeks at practice this week at the Senior Bowl.
Guest BlackJesus Posted January 25, 2007 Report Posted January 25, 2007 [b]Also I think the Bengals should consider him because he can play NT ..... and that way regardless if he go 3-4 or 4-3 ... he could adapt. [/b] [quote]Looks like BJ's not a "Size Queen" anymore.[/quote] [b]well in my defense he did play @ 317 lbs .... and he is shorter thus built like a NT ... but yes .... Size is not the only factor to making a good DT. [/b]
Guest BlackJesus Posted January 25, 2007 Report Posted January 25, 2007 [color="#FF0000"][b]Interview with him before his Freshman year ... at 16 [/b][/color] [size=4][u][quote][img]http://media.scout.com/Media/College_Football/279037_okoye.JPG[/img] [b]Amobi Okoye may see action [/b] By Mike Hughes Aug 27, 2003[/u][/size] Having just turned 16 years old earlier this summer, University of Louisville true freshman defensive lineman Amobi Okoye may be the youngest player in NCAA Division One football this season. Originally from Anambra, Nigeria, Okoye is a rare and unique talent despite his age. Blessed with incredible strength and maturity beyond his 16 years, Amobi finds himself listed on the two deep chart at defensive tackle entering the game in Lexington. Last season as a senior at Lee High School in Huntsville, AL, Okoye made 60 tackles and had 9 quarterback sacks, earning first team all-state honors. Following Tuesday's practice, Okoye spoke with the media about his first few weeks as a college student and football player. Q: Are you surprised being listed on the two deep this early in your career? [b]Okoye:[/b] I'd say I'm quite a bit surprised but I came with the heart to play. I actually thought when I came out here it is different but I think I can do it. Q: What's the bigger adjustment for you from high school to college, in the classroom or on the field ? [b]Okoye:[/b] I'd say both the classroom and on the field. In college, everything's a whole lot faster. Then in class, basically you just have to study. That's what I'm trying to do. Q: It's been reported that you're [size=3]related to former NFL standout Christian Okoye. Is that accurate?[/size] [b]Okoye[/b]: We're not really related. It's hard to explain it but this is the way my dad put it....back home you can lean over a fence and literally shake Christian Okoye's hand. I never got to meet him but my dad said when he was back home they were neighbors. Q: Have your teammates given you any nicknames? [b]Okoye:[/b] No, they just call me AO, my initials. Q: How did you get started playing football? [b]Okoye:[/b] My ninth grade year I was in a homeroom class and my buddy and my coach was a substitute and they talked me into it and I just decided to get out there and play. Q: Talk about your recruiting process. [b]Okoye:[/b] He [Coach Petrino] recruited me and Coach Whitt recruited me at the same time. Q: What's your biggest asset on the field? [b]Okoye:[/b] I would say my strength. That's what's helping me out on the field. [b][I bench press] about 405.[/b] [color="#FF0000"]This is at 16 [/color] Q: The joke going around is that you don't shave yet. Are you shaving now as a college man? [b]Okoye:[/b] [Laughing] I had a feeling that would come up. I shaved like two weeks ago [for the first time]. Q: What does your name mean? [b]Okoye:[/b] Nobody knows Gods heart.[/quote] [url="http://louisville.scout.com/2/172370.html"]http://louisville.scout.com/2/172370.html[/url]
Jason Posted January 25, 2007 Report Posted January 25, 2007 [quote name='BlackJesus' post='432783' date='Jan 25 2007, 10:54 AM'] [b]well in my defense he did play @ 317 lbs .... and he is shorter thus built like a NT ... but yes .... Size is not the only factor to making a good DT. [/b][/quote] 317? Used to be you wouldn't even look at a DT under 325.
Palmer4HOF Posted January 25, 2007 Report Posted January 25, 2007 Ive been watching NFL networks coverage of the senior bowl all week, and I'm starting to think no way does this guy get out of the top ten. Everyone is talking him up, and I've seen now 2 different interviews with him on the sidelines. He's not really a "secret" anymore so I doubt he falls to 18. In terms of value, I feel like you can always find that good DT late in the drafts and the guys in the early rounds don't seperate much from the later guys.
Guest BlackJesus Posted January 25, 2007 Report Posted January 25, 2007 [color="#FF0000"][b]This guy is not only a badass DT .... but a child prodigy [/b][/color] [size=4][u][quote][b]19-year-old senior always a quick study[/b] From early childhood to college, Nigerian native has made most of his precociousness By Jerry Tipton LEXINGTON HERALD[/u][/size] When most children his age might still be in diapers, Amobi Okoye [b]at 2 and a half was going to school.[/b] A pattern had begun. He [b]entered high school and joined the football team at 12[/b], or when other children his age were in Little League. [b]Made All-State in Alabama[/b] -- Alabama! -- [b]at 14.[/b] [b]Signed with Louisville at 15[/b]. Played defensive tackle for the Cardinals at 16. [b]Started his first game at 17[/b]. Enters this season as a senior leader at 19. Plans to [b]graduate with a degree in psychology in December at 19[/b], or when most football players are completing their redshirt freshman seasons. Ah, yes, redshirt. The sport prizes physical maturity and strength, so most players "redshirt," or gestate for a year until more fully formed as football players. [b]Okoye was an aberration.[/b] "Actually, it was in my thoughts," Okoye said of a redshirt season when he came to Louisville in 2003. "Because at the time a whole lot of thought was about would I be able to do it at my age." In his heart, Okoye didn't want to sit out a year. He came to U of L with the idea of playing as a 16-year-old. And he did in competition against players in their early 20s. "I think I was pretty strong or something because I couldn't really tell the difference," he said with a soft laugh. "I mean, I could tell the difference, but at the same time, it wasn't like a drastic difference. "I could tell the difference strength-wise. I was strong. But there's a difference in old men's strength and 16-year-old's strength." Okoye, who is listed at 6-foot-1 and 305 pounds, figures to be an anchor on a Louisville defensive line that lost high-profile "old men" who starred last season: Elvis Dumervil and Montavious Stanley. [b]"He is very mature, a young man with a tremendous amount of confidence," Louisville Coach Bobby Petrino said[/b] of Okoye. "What I like best is he takes coaching. A lot of times, when you've been the star in high school (coaching can be difficult to accept). [b]He's very receptive and adjusts very quickly."[/b] Okoye's life has been a series of adjustments. In his home of Anambra, Nigeria, [b]Okoye's mother was a school principal.[/b] Because she couldn't find acceptable day care, she took Amobi to school with her. That head start, African style, further accelerated when he [b]took a test that enabled him to skip over the sixth grade.[/b] Okoye moved to Huntsville, Ala., with his family when he was 12 years old. In a strange new country, he wanted to attend the same school as his brother and sister. The principal at Lee High School agreed to a two-week trial period: If Okoye fit in academically and socially, he could stay. Because he had always been around older children, Okoye had no problem adjusting. "I really didn't get picked on," he said. "When I met people and they learned my age, it was surprising to them. It was normal to me." [b]Okoye's size (5-foot-9, 185 pounds)[/b] caught the eye of an assistant football coach serving as a substitute teacher, who [b]suggested the 12-year-old join the football team.[/b] Okoye didn't speak English well. He knew little of football. But he joined the team. "He wanted to play receiver," said David O'Connor, then the head coach at Lee High. "The main reason he started to work with us was he wanted to run track. His dad ran track in Africa. "He didn't have any idea about three downs and then you punt." As O'Connor recalled, Okoye believed he could learn the game by reading an instructional book. [b]Ultimately, Okoye learned football through PlayStation[/b], the coach said. [b]"He's such a quick learner,"[/b] O'Connor said [b]"After two or three reps, he's got it picked up."[/b] As a 13-year-old sophomore, Okoye became a spot starter. [size=3][b]At 14, he made All-State. At 15, he made All-State again (getting votes on offense and defense) and graduated.[/b][/size] Meanwhile, O'Connor had been sending players to U of L's football camp each year. Not because of a coaching connection, but because Louisville charged "such a good price," the coach said, recalling a fee of $115 for four days of instruction, "food and everything." Louisville offered Okoye a scholarship when he was 14. After his senior season, [b]he received offers from such schools as Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Southern Miss, UAB, Middle Tennessee, Clemson and West Virginia.[/b] Okoye went with the familiar: Louisville. He played all 13 games as a freshman. At 16, he was the youngest player in college football. He started his first game (against Army) as a 17-year-old sophomore. He made 23 tackles (four for losses) last season. [b]"Techniques," he said when asked the key to his productivity.[/b] "It's all about techniques." Okoye wasn't sure, but he doesn't believe he's related to former Kansas City Chiefs runner Christian Okoye. But he did speak with the former pro player, who offered advice. "Keep working hard and it's going to pay off," Christian Okoye said. In Amobi Okoye's case, probably sooner rather than later.[/quote] [url="http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/sports/special_packages/college_football_preview/15330004.htm"]http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/sport...ew/15330004.htm[/url]
turningpoint Posted January 25, 2007 Report Posted January 25, 2007 Man child, shit he's still growing.
Guest ONYX Posted January 25, 2007 Report Posted January 25, 2007 [color="#FF0000"][b]He'd be a nice selection. I love Nigerians. Christian Okoye used to be one of my favorite players. As a matter of fact, I'm dating a girl from Nigeria now. [/b][/color]
New Jersey Bengal Posted January 25, 2007 Report Posted January 25, 2007 [quote name='sneaky' post='432827' date='Jan 25 2007, 11:37 AM'][color="#FF0000"][b]He'd be a nice selection. I love Nigerians. Christian Okoye used to be one of my favorite players. As a matter of fact, I'm dating a girl from Nigeria now. [/b][/color] [/quote] [b]I bet she's absolutely gorgeous as well as really nice...[/b]
Jamie_B Posted January 25, 2007 Report Posted January 25, 2007 [quote name='Palmer4HOF' post='432792' date='Jan 25 2007, 11:10 AM'][b]Ive been watching NFL networks coverage of the senior bowl all week, and I'm starting to think no way does this guy get out of the top ten.[/b] Everyone is talking him up, and I've seen now 2 different interviews with him on the sidelines. He's not really a "secret" anymore so I doubt he falls to 18. In terms of value, I feel like you can always find that good DT late in the drafts and the guys in the early rounds don't seperate much from the later guys.[/quote] Yeah I agree unfortuantly, thats why Im not getting my hopes up on him.
Guest ONYX Posted January 25, 2007 Report Posted January 25, 2007 [quote name='New Jersey Bengal' post='432830' date='Jan 25 2007, 11:42 AM'][b]I bet she's absolutely gorgeous as well as really nice...[/b][/quote] [color="#FF0000"][b]Yes she is. [/b][/color]
texbengal Posted January 25, 2007 Report Posted January 25, 2007 He does look really good... very quick and pretty powerful, too. I'm sure part of the intrigue, in addition to his obvious ability, is his youth and potential to add weight. He seems like a bright, mature kid, and that goes a long way, too. That said, there are 3 months to go before the draft, and a lot can happen. There's the combine, film study, workouts, etc. So, while he looks like a real player, I think it's premature to say he's a top 10 pick at 287 pounds. The draft boards are really fluid this time of year, so let's see where he and a lot of the guys getting hyped now stand in mid-April.
Guest Tigris Posted January 25, 2007 Report Posted January 25, 2007 [quote name='New Jersey Bengal' post='432830' date='Jan 25 2007, 11:42 AM'][b]I bet she's absolutely gorgeous as well as really nice...[/b][/quote] Yep, she is...
Khatmandude Posted January 25, 2007 Report Posted January 25, 2007 I hope not but I have a feeling we'll hear... "And with the 10th pick in the draft, the Atlanta Falcons take DT Amobi Okoye"
Guest Tigris Posted January 25, 2007 Report Posted January 25, 2007 I can't believe he played when he was 16. At first I figured he was just an early graduate (coming out a year early) as well as a summer birthday that put him another year ahead when he could have been a year behind. I'm not real impressed with the "testing out" thing, how many of you guys passed all your 12th grade proficiencies in eighth grade? I know a lot of people that did. I am impressed that he could bang with the bigger guys at Lousiville at 16... DAMN! [quote name='IKOTA' post='432885' date='Jan 25 2007, 12:43 PM']I hope not but I have a feeling we'll hear... "And with the 10th pick in the draft, the Atlanta Falcons take DT Amobi Okoye"[/quote] Why Atlanta and not someone else?
Guest ONYX Posted January 25, 2007 Report Posted January 25, 2007 [quote name='Tigris' post='432881' date='Jan 25 2007, 12:41 PM']Yep, she is... [/quote]
New Jersey Bengal Posted January 25, 2007 Report Posted January 25, 2007 [quote name='sneaky' post='432871' date='Jan 25 2007, 12:34 PM'][color="#FF0000"][b]Yes she is. [/b][/color][/quote] [b]Lucky man[/b]
Guest Tigris Posted January 25, 2007 Report Posted January 25, 2007 [quote name='sneaky' post='432897' date='Jan 25 2007, 12:49 PM'] [/quote] fight to the death!!
Phatcat Posted January 25, 2007 Report Posted January 25, 2007 [quote name='New Jersey Bengal' post='432830' date='Jan 25 2007, 11:42 AM'][b]I bet she's absolutely gorgeous as well as really nice...[/b][/quote] [quote name='ONYX' post='432871' date='Jan 25 2007, 12:34 PM'][color="#FF0000"][b]Yes she is. [/b][/color][/quote] Pictures! We need Pictures....... preferrably in the Holy Grail of Ti........ thread
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