Prospect Profile: Ruke Orhorhoro, DL, Clemson

Context

Over his final season averaged more time at 3 technique but did play up and down the line from 0 to 7. Clemson set their line differently across the season.

Pass Rush

Orhorhoro is a really tough evaluation. Because of how differently Clemson set their defensive front from game to game, he was asked to do many different things and it affected his play in different facets of the game. He’s extremely athletic with elite explosion and good speed for his size; that means he has one ingredient to give him elite upfield burst. You also need mental processing to complete your play speed on this, and in some games against different opponents, you can see him demonstrate his ability to do this. But when he was dealing with a more complex offense, more complex assignment and facing more threats on the other side of the line, his game slowed down.

He’s got a good second and third step and can roll through the half man when he gets off well. His upfield burst and his pass rush were generally better when he was playing from a wider alignment, normally 3 technique or further outside. This is because he’s able to time his strike on the Offensive Linemen more effectively. When playing further inside at 0 technique, in closer quarters, his engages too quickly and lets the OL into his body. He consistently has good placement with his strike but he’s inconsistent with his ability to play with leverage. He struggles to lock out, playing with his elbows bent, a high pad level and consequently less play strength than he should. He started to develop a more effective plan as his Senior season went on. Mainly he was able to marry his feet and explosion with his hands more effectively, deploying his best weapon in his athleticism. He also began to develop an effective cross chop when deployed from those more outside alignments, as well as his signature club swim move.

He has some power when bull-rushing but he doesn’t maximize it because of his play strength deficiency. He could certainly still stand to use his hands more as a pass rusher and continue to use his lateral explosion to keep the OL off-balance. He has a pretty good batting average in getting QBs to the ground and can finish on most types of QB.

Vs Run

When he faces more idiosyncratic Zone blocking schemes, he can get off the ball quickly and get into position to take away the primary rush lane without compromising the integrity of the unit. He can read the play quickly and use his explosion to beat reach blocks and double teams, though if you latch on a double team to him he won’t easily occupy it. Against more complex running schemes with more Gap blocking, he doesn’t read the play as quickly and the challenges with his hand usage and play strength come back into it. But his explosion and brute force make him a weapon as a penetrator against the run. .

SUMMARY
If he can unlock more of his power with better technique, the ceiling is really high due to his explosion/athleticism. Needs some work with more complex run schemes.

PRODUCTION
SR:5 Sacks, 4 QB hits, 19 Total Tackles
JR:  3 Sacks, 3 QB hits, 18 total tackles
INJURY: SO: Knee meniscus surgery (missed 8 games)

RAVENS FIT
Athleticism 5
Intelligence 3
Versatility 3
Grit 4
Scheme 3