Film room: Oladejo the pass rusher with promise

Diving into what the UCLA pass rusher could bring to Las Vegas

While the Las Vegas Raiders don’t have an immediate need for an edge-rusher after re-signing Malcolm Koonce this offseason, the defense could use a long-term solution since Koonce is only on a one-year deal. That’s likely a big reason the Raiders brought UCLA pass-rusher Oluwafemi Oladejo in for a Top 30 visit ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Oladejo is more of a project as he’s still new to the position. He played off-ball linebacker during his first three years in college (two at Cal and one at UCLA) and didn’t switch spots until Week 4 of this past season. However, he has some impressive traits to work with and posted solid statistics during his limited time on the edge.

According to Pro Football Focus, the former Bruin logged 33 pressures on 325 pass-rush snaps. Additionally, he managed to rack up 23 ‘defensive stops’ as a run defender which tied for the fifth-most among Big 10 edge defenders. Not bad for someone who was learning the position on the fly.

Given the Raiders’ interest, the numbers above and his connection to Chip Kelly, let’s see what Oladejo could bring to Las Vegas.

Right now, Oladejo’s best pass-rush move is the cross-chop. He combines athleticism with quick hands to beat offensive tackles around the edge and the clip above is a great example.

Oladejo sets the move up well by stemming inside post-snap to get to square on the offensive tackle and have a two-way go (meaning he can use an outside or inside move). Once he squares the tackle up, he has the quickness and athleticism to pivot to the tackle’s outside shoulder.

Then, he uses his inside hand/arm to knock the tackle’s hands down to win outside and create a shorter edge. Finally, the pass-rusher’s bend at the top of the rush allows him to take an efficient path to the quarterback.

While he doesn’t get the sack here, he forces the quarterback to step up in the pocket where the defensive tackle can escape and clean up the play.

Here, we get another good example of how effective Oladejo’s cross-chop is. The rep above highlights how he sets the move up during the stem phase of the rush.

Off the snap, he attacks or runs at the right tackle rather than going straight up the field. That keeps the tackle from working wide out of his stance, creating a shorter edge. Then, Oladejo uses his athleticism to pivot outside and defeats the tackle’s hands with the cross-chop. That, combined with the shorter edge, gives him a clear and efficient path to the quarterback.

While the ball is out before the pass-rusher can hit home, reps like this one will turn into sacks with better coverage on the backend of the defense.

The UCLA product is still refining his pass-rush arsenal, but he’s shown impressive quickness to develop a few inside moves as a counter to the cross-chop seen above.

Minnesota runs a play-action pass where the right tackle tries to be aggressive in his pass set by attacking Oladejo off the snap. However, that backfires as the tackle oversets which creates an inside rushing lane. Oladejo recognizes that and uses his quickness and hands to beat the the tackle in the B-gap.

Granted, the running back does a good job in pass protection to pick up the pass rusher and prevent the sack or quarterback hit. But this is an example of the tools Oladejo has to work with and become a well-rounded rusher.

The former Bruin’s athletic ability also stands out against the run as it helps him make tackles from the backside of plays.

Iowa dials up a read option with a counter call in the backfield where Oladejo is the read man/unblocked defender. After getting into the backfield, he does a good job of breaking down which influences the handoff to the running back while still keeping him in a position to play the quarterback if the quarterback keeps the ball.

Once the edge defender sees the handoff, he moves flat down the line, has the burst to meet the running back in the backfield and comes up with the tackle for no gain from the backside of the play. This is a textbook rep in how to defend the read option as he was effectively able to takeaway the quarterback and running back.

This next clip is another textbook rep to make a tackle from the backside of a run play.

With UCLA blitzing the nickelback off the edge, Oladejo is responsible for the B-gap in the run fit. However, he lines up outside shade of the right tackle and Iowa runs split zone in the opposite direction, making it difficult for the defender to get into the B-gap.

So, instead of working up the field, he stays tight to the line of scrimmage post-snap and gets hands on the right tackle’s hip which allows him to close the gap with the offensive lineman. Finally, Oladejo gets his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage and is in perfect position to make the tackle for loss when the running back cuts backside.

Part of what makes this rep impressive is it shows Oladejo’s growth as a run defender. At the beginning of last season, he would often get too far up field and wouldn’t see pullers or split zone blockers when he was unblocked. The fact he’s already starting to fix that issue shows he’s coachable and can continue to develop down the line.

While the former Bruin could afford to add some strength to be more consistent when setting the edge, the rep above is encouraging for his development.

Minnesota runs outside zone right at him, forcing him to set the edge against the right tackle. At the point of attack, Oladejo has solid pad level and does a decent job of getting his hands inside or on the tackle’s chest to get a leverage advantage on the block. Also, he has a wide base to help dig his heels in the ground and anchor.

All of that allows the defender to gain control of the block to the point where the offensive tackle loses balance. So, when Oladejo shows color to the outside, the running back is forced to cut up field. That means the edge defender has sucessfully done his job, but he goes the extra mile by escaping the tackle’s block and making the play for a short gain.

Reps like this one, in addition to the other clips above, are something an NFL coaching staff will be more than happy to work with.

According to NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board, the UCLA product ranks as the 70th prospect in this year’s draft class and has a third-round projection as of April 15.

If he’s still available with the 68th pick of the draft and the Raiders are looking to add a succession plan for Koonce, Oladejo could be heading to Las Vegas. That would give the defense another pass rusher immediately and someone who could play on the other side of Maxx Crosby in a year or two.