Summary:

Ekpre-Olomu came to Eugene as a 4-star recruit who played running back & defensive back in high school. He appeared in all 14 games as a true freshman before starting his 40 game starting streak as a sophomore in 2012. He lined up as a field, boundary, and slot CB in several tapes I watched and was most effective as an off the ball player. Oregon would line him up 6-7 yards off the slot with an LB kicked out on an inside shade over the slot, usually as a decoy. This would allow Ifo to utilize his excellent read/react ability and show off his explosiveness & ball skills the best. I like him in a similar type role so he can roam & make plays on the ball. Ifo finished his career with 244 total tackles, 164 solo, 6.5 TFL, 9 INT, 1 TD, 39 PBUs, & 8 FF. He was a three-time first-team All-Pac 12 honoree as well as a two-time first-team All-American (consensus in ’14 & Thorpe finalist as well).

Ekpre-Olomu has a very evenly, cut up dispersion of muscle throughout his entire frame. He has average length with below average height but is very twitched up and explosive in multiple facets. He is an exceptionally tough, hard nosed player who plays with almost too much physicality at times (’12 USC tape & ’13 Wash tape have good examples). While he needs to learn to scale it back some downfield in coverage, his physicality shines in his click/close ability particularly coming downhill in run support. He demonstrates superb coordination in his foot speed/precision, as well as his ability to play the ball in the air. His hitting/tackling game is stout as he shows the capability to unlock his hips on contact, generating more force than expected from a smaller player. In the ’13 Wash tape Ifo adjusted his aiming point on a tackle coming full speed downhill on a RB with a last second plant in reacting to a juke, landing his facemask on the ballcarriers’ shins for a beautiful tackle & display of coordination. He has very strong hands in his wrap-up as well as w/receivers in coverage. He is a fighter on the field who scraps with ballcarriers to the ground, with receivers throughout the route, and generally from snap to whistle. He oftentimes puts himself in excellent position down the sideline to enhance his ability to make plays on the ball. Not only does he use the sideline to his advantage he gives small alleyways for receivers to work in on jump balls. He is an “above the rim” CB.

Ifo has extensive experience on both sides of the field both inside and outside. His best spot is in off coverage over the slot towards the MOF. This rover type of position allows his best traits to flourish, which are his explosiveness in space, ability to see through the WR to the QB, route recognition, and outstanding ball skills. In zone he is able to diagnose route combinations quickly, read the QB while simultaneously keeping an eye on WRs with his peripheral. He primarily uses a side shuffle and needs work on his footwork in his pedal as he often gets narrow. From man tight he has fluid hips to turn but also tends to cross his feet, eliminating his BOS & therefore sacrifices balance. This results in him getting pushed around at times despite his strength. He has an impressive 5th gear that he shows off in closing both downhill and vertically deep down field. His most redeeming quality is his ability to locate, track, and high point the football with rare timing. Every tape he gets a hand in a receiver’s cradle or frame of the ball at the last minute for the deflection. His skill-set has a natural fit as a safety/rover type of spot whereas his size is more suited for the slot. I think he could play both but will need the most work on his footwork and over-aggression if he were to be put at corner. In studying Ifo it appears at times his mind plays faster than his body which can result in some wild looking technique and a shaky BOS. He compensates for this by getting too grabby when receiver’s cross his face or by blatantly “catching” a WR from off coverage or grabbing them because his footwork was lagging. With repetition, coaching, and time he has the instinctual prowess, ball skills, and functional athleticism to fill a variety of roles for a defense as a pro.

Pro Comp – Antoine Winfield