8. Prince Tega Wanogho, Auburn
Height: 6’5″ Weight: 308
40-Yard Dash: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bio: Born in Delta State, Nigeria, and the son of Prince Phillip U.D. and
Princess Onome Wanogho, Tega Wanogho moved to Alabama in hopes of becoming a big-time basketball player, but switched to football. That resulted in offers from a torrent of colleges, and visits with Alabama and LSU before deciding on Auburn.
“At first, just trying to stay in shape,” he said at the combine about the challenges inherent in the switch. “When I came to the United States, I really didn’t know it was football season. So, my interest was to come over here and start playing. I came here and it was football season. So, I was trying to stay in shape, so, that’s why I started playing. Believe it or not, I thought I was going to be the next LeBron James. I told people that every time I was playing. But I really thought I had a shot to do that. But I just did that to stay in shape. It turns out I was okay at that.”
Stat to Know: Over three seasons and 1,120 total pass-blocking snaps, Tega Wanogho allowed just three sacks, nine quarterback hits, and 34 quarterback hurries.
Strengths: Presents outstanding, if raw, athleticism that shows up when he’s drive-blocking on the move and when he’s able to put together a fundamentally positive pass set. Has the tools to be a formidable blocker on the move. Length and strength combination will excite a lot of pro offensive line coaches. Excellent, if inconsistent, footwork.
Weaknesses: Matching Tega Wanogho’s pressure numbers with his pass-blocking abilities is an interesting exercise, because he lets edge-rushers off the hook far too often. Doesn’t seem to have an understanding of how to mirror and maintain through the snap — will almost bail on his guy at times. Saved a lot by a quick passing game. Hands aren’t aggressive enough to win pit battles; Tega Wanogho wrestles when he should be setting the tone.
Conclusion: Tega Wanogho is by no means a finished product, and I’m not sure he’s a first-year starter at the next level. His NFL team will have to mix him in after teaching him more of the fundamentals of the position, but it says a great deal about his athletic gifts that he was able to make it work at the SEC level with so little positional experience.
NFL Comparison: Germain Ifedi. A first-round pick of the Seahawks in 2016, Ifedi was an athletic, powerful college blocker who was a fundamental mess in a lot of ways, and never got past rudimentary (read: bad) NFL coaching to correct those issues. Tega Wanogho is a similarly appealing athletic prototype who will need a lot of work to become a starting NFL offensive tackle, but the building blocks are there.