Tag: Kitan Oladapo

Packers to host top 30 pre-draft visit with Oregon State S Kitan Oladapo

The Packers will host Oregon State safety Kitan Oladapo on a top 30 visit ahead of the 2024 NFL draft.

The Green Bay Packers will host Oregon State safety Kitan Oladapo on an official top 30 visit ahead of the 2024 NFL draft, per Justin Melo of The Draft Network.

Teams are allowed to host up to 30 prospects on visits ahead of the draft. Packers Wire is tracking all the reported visits here.

Oladapo intercepted three passes and produced 27 pass breakups, two forced fumbles, 6.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss over 46 career games. In 2023, Oladapo was a first-team All-Pac 12 selection. He participated at the Senior Bowl.

At the NFL Scouting Combine, Oladapo (6-2, 216) ran the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds, hit 36″ in the vertical leap, covered 9-9 in the broad jump and finished 15 reps in the bench press. His Relative Athletic Score is 8.12 out of 10.0.

In 2023, Oladapo played all over the defense for Oregon State. Per PFF, he lined up for at least 170 snaps in the box, in the slot and as a deep safety. Oladapo earned an elite run defense grade and gave up just one touchdown pass in coverage. He produced two interceptions, 13 run defense stops and seven forced incompletions.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com believes Oladapo has “classic strong safety traits” and compares him to Jaquiski Tartt.

Pro Football Focus ranks Oladapo as the No. 259 overall prospect, suggesting he’s likely to be a Day 3 option.

The Packers are likely looking for a long-term safety option alongside Xavier McKinney. Oladapo has the profile of developmental strong safety.

2024 NFL Draft: Oregon State safety Kitan Oladapo scouting report

Oregon State safety Kitan Oladapo is one of the best multi-position defensive backs in this draft class, and he’s peaking at the right time.

A star at Central Catholic High in Portland, Kitan Oladapo stayed close to home with Oregon State. He took a redshirt freshman year in 2018 after helping his high school team win a state championship in 2017, started to put things together as a redshirt sophomore, and started to make a real impact in 2021, when he allowed 21 catches on 36 targets for 172 yards, 99 yards after the catch, three touchdowns, one interception, seven pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 86.8.

Last season, his fifth on the field with the Beavers, Oladapo again allowed 21 catches on 36 targets for 212 yards, 58 yards after the catch, one touchdown, two interceptions, seven pass breakups, and a career-best opponent passer rating of 61.3.

The timeline projects Oladapo as a player who had his best season at the right time, and the upside is quite interesting on tape.

PLUSES

— Oladapo has true positional versatility; he’s effective everywhere from the box to the slot to free to outside corner.

— Outstanding pass defender in tight man coverage, especially in the red zone.

— Short-area closing speed is excellent and consistent.

— Excellent man/match skills throughout the route; Oladapo can easily and consistently carry receivers from the snap to the whistle.

— Has the wherewithal to come down and blow up screens and run plays… from time to time.

MINUSES

— As good as he is at matching routes, Oladapo can be hesitant in diagnosis at times, and that’ll leave him a step late.

–Transitions are better in press/bail than backpedal and turn. NFL receivers could tie him in knots for a while. — Recovery speed is good, not great; he needs to stay on point to avoid getting burned upfield.

— Oladapo struggles to work through progressions in zone coverage and can be caught in the middle more often than you’d like.

— A repeated theme in the safeties I’ve watched so far this year… at times, he squares up and tackles like a cat trying to run on a freshly waxed kitchen floor.

2023 was Oladapo’s breakout season to a point, so it makes sense that he’s still putting a few things together transitionally. Over time, he could be a top-tier multi-position pass defender. Short term, he’ll be an asset in any man/press-heavy defense.

Lions draft prospect of the day: Kitan Oladapo, S, Oregon State

Breaking down Oregon State S Kitan Oladapo and how he might fit the Detroit Lions in the 2024 NFL draft

The Lions Draft Prospect of the Day is an appropriate choice, with the Lions checking out his pro day on Monday. 

The focus is on players who should hold some appeal to the Lions in the draft, with a focus on the more likely positions the team will be targeting. If you’re looking for quarterbacks or upper-echelon running backs, you’re probably not going to find those here. Outside cornerbacks, defensive linemen, interior offensive linemen, some wide receivers and offensive tackles figure to appear along the path to April’s draft. Not all of the players will be top-100 prospects, either.

Today’s prospect is a big safety who the Lions met with at the Senior Bowl and also informally met with at the NFL Scouting Combine. 

Kitan Oladapo, S, Oregon State

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 216 pounds (measured at NFL Scouting Combine)

Oladapo has been a fixture of the Beavers defense since 2020. He started 39 games in the secondary, playing over 750 snaps each as a slot corner, free safety and box safety. As a senior in 2023, Oladapo registered 73 tackles, one sack, two interceptions and one forced fumble and recovery, while also breaking up seven passes. He had 80 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 2022 while playing closer to the line of scrimmage more frequently. He is 23 years old and played in the Senior Bowl.

What I like

  • Has a defined body, great size and length for his position
  • Great acceleration and two-step burst for a guy his size
  • Impressive tackler in the box, hits and wraps better than many LBs
  • Good blitz timing and he does more than just run really fast toward a gap; can duck or spin to keep himself going to the QB
  • High football IQ shows in quick play diagnosis and pre-snap reads and anticipation of his assignment
  • Well-built frame and he knows how to use the hit stick
  • Decent in red-zone coverage and when he doesn’t have to worry about the long ball
  • Reads receiver cues well to search for the ball and make plays in coverage
  • Just 4 accepted penalties in his final 30 games
  • PFF’s highest-graded safety over the last two seasons combined

What worries me going into the NFL

  •  Hips and ankles are a little tight in coverage, especially when he has to turn and run
  • Loses body control when approaching a slow target at full speed
  • Lacks recovery speed if he gets beaten over the top or on drags/crosses in man coverage
  • Loses fluidity and crispness working outside the tackle box in run defense or vs. short passes
  • Shows some panic when he’s beaten in coverage, though he largely got away with some late grabs and tugs
  • Other than playing more stridently in the box, he’s still largely the same player now he was at the start of the 2022 season; his development might be maxed out

Best game I watched: Washington State

Worst game I watched: 

Overall

 It’s hard not to see some of the end-of-2023 Ifeatu Melifonwu in Oladapo’s game. Like the Lions safety, Oladapo is at his best attacking downhill inside the tackle box and blitzing from all over the formation. The deeper and wider he gets, the more problems arise with the lack of long speed and lateral fluidity in coverage. Oladapo has been more durable and instinctive in coverage, however. 

With his age and his limited role–he looks like a box safety or hybrid LB/SS only in the NFL–Oladapo is generally projected in the fourth or fifth round of the 2024 NFL draft. He fits the Lions’ grit and scheme in that range if they choose to bolster the paper-thin (for now) safety depth chart.

 

Which prospects did Colts meet with at NFL combine?

A quick list of who the Colts met with at the NFL combine.

The NFL Scouting Combine wrapped up this weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium as the Indianapolis Colts continue marching toward the 2024 NFL draft.

While the on-field drills and measurements get most of the public attention, the combine is more important for NFL teams to gather medical information and meet with prospects ahead of the draft.

There are essentially two types of prospect meetings at the combine. The formal interviews garner the most attention. Each team gets a 20-minute interview with up to 45 prospects throughout the week of the combine. They take place in the suites at Lucas Oil Stadium and typically include the majority of high-ranking officials and coaches.

Each team conducts formal prospect meetings in a different manner.

There also are informal interviews. These are less structured. A coach or scout from a team may schedule a quick one-on-one chat with a prospect. There are no time limits on the informal interviews.

The Colts likely met with more prospects than will be listed below, but we can only go off what has been reported. We’ll add any new names to the list if reports come out in the following days.

Here’s a quick rundown of who the team met with during combine week:

Six draft prospects for Packers fans to watch during Week 4

Six draft prospects for Packers fans to watch during Week 4 of the 2023 college football season.

The fourth week of the college football season is upon us and it’s jam-packed with must-see matchups. The Week 4 slate includes six games between Top 25 teams. Let’s take a look at a prospect to watch for Green Bay Packers fans in each Top 25 showdown.

Colorado vs. Oregon (2:30, ABC)

Brandon Dorlus, DL, Oregon

Where Dorlus will fit at the next level is still a question mark. Is he an edge? A five-tech? A three-tech? The answer is maybe all of them.

What isn’t a question is his athleticism and length. Dorlus has an explosive first step and gets upfield quickly to disrupt the action in the backfield. He has the lateral quickness to make plays up and down the line of scrimmage. The Oregon defensive lineman has the tools to be a difference-maker at the next level and a smart defensive coordinator will take advantage of his athleticism and versatility. 

UCLA vs. Utah (2:30, Fox)

Cole Bishop, S, Utah

Bishop is tough as nails. He’s fearless in run support and excels playing downhill. In three games this season, Bishop has recorded 17 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks and one interception. He’s been everywhere for the Utes. He has good field awareness and is rarely (if ever) out of position. 

Ole Miss vs. Alabama (2:30, CBS)

Jermaine Burton, WR, Alabama

A Georgia transfer, Burton, like the rest of the Alabama offense, struggled last week against South Florida. The Alabama wide receiver caught just one pass for seven yards, after hauling in five receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns in the first two games of the season. Burton is a smooth route runner and does a good job of varying his route tempo to keep defensive backs off balance. 

Oregon State vs. Washington State (6, Fox)

Kitan Oladapo, S, Oregon State

Oladapo stands at 6-1 with long arms. He’s a lanky safety with sideline-to-sideline range. He’s at his best coming downhill, where his toughness and appetite for the physical side of the game shines through. 

Ohio State vs. Notre Dame (6:30, NBC)

Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame

If the Packers wind up selecting inside the Top 15 of the 2024 NFL Draft, don’t be surprised if Brian Gutekunst makes a move to go get Alt.

Alt, a former tight end is a mountain of a man (6-8). He has great movement skills and outstanding lateral movements in pass protection. A year after giving up zero sacks and eight pressures, the Notre Dame offensive tackle has zero sacks and zero pressures through four games this season. 

Alt will face a stiff challenge on Saturday when he squares off against Ohio State edge rushers J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer. The pass-rushing duo has combined for 17 pressures through three games thus far for the Buckeyes. 

Iowa vs. Penn State (6:30, CBS)

Caedan Wallace, OT, Penn State

Yes. We know about Cooper DeJean. The Iowa Hawkeye defensive back was highlighted in the Week 1 Prospects to Watch article. 

Wallace, the starting right tackle for Penn State looks the part at 6-5, 328 pounds. Wallace enters the matchup against the Hawkeyes with 30 starts at right tackle to his name. A former state champion in the shot put, Wallace is incredibly powerful. According to PFF, Wallace has yielded just three pressures and zero sacks through three games this season. 

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