Tag: Ovie Oghoufo

How LSU rookies performed in their first preseason games

Here’s how LSU’s rookies performed in their preseason debuts.

The NFL preseason is underway. As we get closer to playing football that matters, we’re getting our first real look at rookies on a professional field.

As usual, LSU has several former players starting their NFL careers in 2024. The Tigers’ draft class was headlined by QB [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], who the Washington Commanders selected with the No. 2 overall pick. Daniels was joined in the first round by receivers [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag]

Later in the draft, three defensive tackles were taken out of LSU. The Jaguars took [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Jefferson[/autotag] while [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] landed in Detroit with the Lions.

Five of the six made their preseason debut in the last several days with Jefferson being the only holdout.

LSU’s put a few stars in the NFL in recent years and there’s hope this group produces a few more. Here’s how they performed in their pro debuts, starting with Daniels.

Jayden Daniels

Daniels played just one series but made a strong impression in a few plays. In three dropbacks, Daniels completed two passes for 45 yards.

We saw Daniels excel with ball placement downfield last year and it was more of the same in his pro debut.

The drive was capped with a Daniels rushing score.

Malik Nabers

Nabers played 12 snaps in his debut, but he wasn’t targeted, leaving his stat line empty.

Despite the numbers, Nabers ran routes at an NFL level. If New York can get him the ball, he’ll make plays in 2024.

Brian Thomas Jr.

Thomas wasted no time putting his perimeter playmaking skills on display. His lone catch was a 42-yard shot down the sideline that saw Thomas fight for position to haul it in as he went to the ground.

Thomas posted an impressive 79.2 PFF grade in limited action.

Mekhi Wingo

Wingo played 31 defensive snaps in his debut with Detroit. He didn’t record a tackle but he did manage one pressure.

After the game, Lions head coach Dan Campbell spoke highly of Wingo’s performance.

Maason Smith

Maason Smith played 21 snaps in his first game and according to PFF, was the 11th best-graded rookie defensive tackle in the first week. Smith was only on the field for nine rush plays, so it was tough to make an impact there.

Like Wingo, he added one QB pressure.

How did some of the UDFAs do?

The draft picks weren’t the only LSU rookies to make their debut. LSU had some undrafted free agents take to the field as well.

[autotag]Charles Turner III[/autotag] played 10 snaps for the Patriots and allowed two pressures but still posted a 75.0 PFF pass block grade.

[autotag]Ovie Oghoufo[/autotag] made a good first impression, recording four tackles, a pressure, and a batted pass for the Giants.

Linebacker [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag] was one of the top-graded rookie linebackers after making four tackles and pressuring the quarterback twice with the Rams.

In his debut with the Eagles, safety [autotag]Andre Sam[/autotag] played 19 snaps and made a tackle.

As for players who didn’t play, Jefferson and [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag] are awaiting their debuts.

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Giants officially sign 8 undrafted rookies, waive Deon Jackson

The New York Giants have signed eight undrafted rookie free agents and waived/injured running back Deon Jackson.

The New York Giants open rookie minicamp with the first of two practices on Friday, which also means some roster tinkering is a must.

The team officially announced the signing of eight undrafted rookie free agents along with several other transactions.

Seven of the eight undrafted free agents signed to the 90-man roster are as follows:

  • WR Ayir Asante (Wyoming)
  • WR John Jiles (West Florida)
  • DB Alex Johnson (UCLA)
  • OT Marcellus Johnson (Missouri)
  • G Jake Kubas (North Dakota State)
  • DE Ovie Oghoufo (LSU)
  • DL Casey Rogers (Oregon)

The Giants also announced the signing of international kicker Jude McAtamney (Rutgers), who was given a roster exemption.

Other roster moves include the signing of fifth-round running back Tyrone Tracy Jr., who had agreed to terms on his rookie deal on Thursday.

Finally, running back Deon Jackson was waived/injured. He will revert to injured reserve (IR) in 24 hours.

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Where Jayden Daniels ranks among quarterbacks on Mel Kiper Jr.’s final draft board

Here’s where Jayden Daniels and other Tigers rank on Mel Kiper Jr.’s final draft board.

We’re just over 48 hours away from the start of the 2024 NFL draft, and that means it’s time for analysts and prognosticators to put forth their final predictions.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. released his final big board on Tuesday ahead of the draft, and when it came to LSU players, there weren’t a lot of changes from what we’ve seen over the past few months.

LSU quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] — the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner — is still ranked second overall and among quarterbacks behind only Caleb Williams. Meanwhile, Daniels’ favorite college targets [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] rank fifth and 17th, respectively, as well as third and fourth among receivers.

The Tigers don’t have as many mid-round prospects as we’ve seen in past years. That trio comprises the only LSU players in the top 75 with [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag] coming in at 78th overall followed by [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] at 92.

Those were the only players Kiper had in his top 150, though [autotag]Charles Turner III[/autotag] (No. 11 center), [autotag]Jordan Jefferson[/autotag] (No. 12 defensive tackle), [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag] (No. 32 inside linebacker), [autotag]Ovie Oghoufo[/autotag] (No. 28 outside linebacker) and [autotag]Andre Sam[/autotag] (No. 30 safety) all cracked the positional rankings.

It likely won’t be as many players as LSU has seen drafted overall in some recent years, but it’s a top-heavy class for the Tigers, and Thursday’s Round 1 should be an eventful one.

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Brian Kelly updates injury report leading up to Arkansas game

LSU will likely be getting some key players back this weekend.

As LSU returns home to continue SEC play against Arkansas on Saturday night, the Tigers will hope to be closer to full health than they were in last week’s 41-14 win over Mississippi State.

The Tigers were without three injured starters in that game: tight end [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag], JACK [autotag]Ovie Oghoufo[/autotag] and linebacker [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag]. [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] updated the injury report Thursday, and it featured some positive news.

Taylor and Oghoufo remain probable as they are expected to return to the field. Unfortunately for LSU, Speights is doubtful and likely to miss his second game in a row. That will open the door for true freshman [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] to see more action at inside linebacker.

LSU will take on the Razorbacks in a night game at Death Valley on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT.

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Brian Kelly updates injury report for LSU entering Arkansas week

LSU received a mostly positive injury update from Brian Kelly on Monday.

LSU was without several key players on Saturday against Mississippi State. Their absences didn’t prove too costly in an easy 41-14 win, but in what could be a tougher test against Arkansas next weekend, the Tigers need to get those players back.

Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] offered some positive news in that regard on Monday. Linebacker [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag], JACK [autotag]Ovie Oghoufo[/autotag] and tight end [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag] all missed the game against the Bulldogs, but the trio all received “probable” designations from Kelly entering the week.

One player the Tigers won’t have is starting nickel [autotag]Greg Brooks Jr.[/autotag], who missed the game against Mississippi State with a “medical emergency.” Kelly didn’t go into much detail on Brooks’ status Monday beyond saying that he won’t be available against the Razorbacks this week.

LSU will look to start its SEC slate 2-0 as it returns home to host Arkansas with several key players hopefully back in the fold.

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Brian Kelly provides injury updates after Mississippi State win

LSU was without a few pieces on Saturday when the Tigers took on Mississippi State.

LSU was without a few pieces on Saturday when the Tigers took on Mississippi State. It did not matter much as far as that game was concerned, but it could be an issue in the grand scheme of things.

[autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag], [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag], [autotag]Ovie Oghoufo[/autotag] and [autotag]Greg Brooks Jr.[/autotag] were all absent from the game. [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] was asked postgame about the latest updates for those guys.

“So we weren’t sure, Mason Taylor went through pregame and he just wasn’t 100%, so we held him,” Kelly said. “Ovie Thursday turns an ankle in pass rush and, you know, we really couldn’t get him healthy to hold the edge. He did some stuff as the punt captain, you know, he handles the cadence and and the block rules. So we kept him in on punts but he really couldn’t help us on defense. And, you know, Omar was out with the hip flexor.

“So we had a lot of guys down and we just found out about Greg, had a medical emergency and you know, our thoughts and prayers are with Greg and you know, that was tough on two guys and tough on all of us.”

With the way the game went, a bunch of young players got to play anyway which is a great thing for their experience and to keep the starters rested.

Even without those three key pieces, the Tigers still put a beatdown on Mississippi State as [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] and [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] had the best game of both of their careers.

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2023 LSU Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 13 Bradyn Swinson

After appearing in 30 games with one start at Oregon, Bradyn Swinson is looking for a fresh start in Baton Rouge.

Going into the 2023 football season, LSU Wire will be looking at each player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for Brian Kelly this season.

It’s no secret that LSU hit the transfer portal hard to replace losses on defense. The defensive line was one of the most affected groups, and we’re looking at one of the most impactful additions in [autotag]Bradyn Swinson[/autotag], who was a rotational edge rusher in three years at Oregon.

Bradyn Swinson Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Douglasville, Georgia

Ht: 6-4

Wt: 249

247Sports Composite Ranking

Three Stars | No. 55 in Georgia | No. 20 Strong-Side Defensive End

Class in 2022: Sophomore

Career Stats

Year G Total Solo TFL Sack FF PD INT
2020 (Oregon) 7 3 2 0 0 0 1 0
2021 (Oregon) 11 24 14 4 3 0 2 0
2022 (Oregon) 12 8 5 1.5 0 0 0 0


Depth Chart Overview

Despite his big frame and athleticism, Swinson was a bit overlooked out of high school and ranked outside the top 500 nationally. Still, he signed with Oregon, and following seven appearances during the COVID season in 2020, he had his most productive season in 2021.

He played in 11 games, making his first and only start, and he earned all three sacks in his career that campaign. He also had a career-high four tackles for loss.

Swinson played in 12 games in 2022, but his role diminished as he totaled just eight tackles. He entered the transfer portal looking for a fresh start on an LSU team that has to replace [autotag]BJ Ojulari[/autotag], though Texas transfer [autotag]Ovie Oghoufo[/autotag] seems like the safer pick to win that starting JACK spot.

Bradyn Swinson’s Photo Gallery

Pair of LSU defensive lineman named potential breakout freshman in 2023

Jaxon Howard and DaShawn Womack could both make impacts as true freshmen this fall.

LSU’s defensive front is poised to be very strong in 2023, but if there’s one question mark, it comes at the edge of the defensive line.

Last year’s starting edge defenders in [autotag]BJ Ojulari[/autotag] and [autotag]Ali Gaye[/autotag] are gone, and LSU is likely to turn to transfer additions like [autotag]Ovie Oghoufo[/autotag], [autotag]Bradyn Swinson[/autotag] and [autotag]Paris Shand[/autotag] to fill in the gaps.

However, the Tigers could also look to a pair of true freshman blue-chip prospects to make an impact, as well. On3 recently recognized [autotag]Jaxon Howard[/autotag] and [autotag]DaShawn Womack[/autotag] as potential breakout true freshmen in the SEC this fall.

Here’s what they said about Howard.

Where he ranked in the 2023 On3 Industry Ranking: Four-star, No. 16 EDGE, No. 120 overall prospect

Howard is one of a couple freshman EDGE players for LSU with a shot at contributing this season.

You’ll see the other one shortly.

As for Howard, he’s impressed with his work ethic, approach and intelligence.

He had four tackles and a sack in the Tigers’ spring game.

“You could see his progress and his grit kind of grow throughout the spring to the point where we were like, that was a really good spring for him,” LSU head coach Brian Kelly said during the spring.

Howard’s father, Willie, was an all-conference defensive lineman at Stanford and a 2001 second-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings.

Now for Womack.

Where he ranked in the 2023 On3 Industry Ranking: Four-star, No. 5 EDGE, No. 42 overall prospect

Here’s the other LSU freshman EDGE with a chance to be a factor this season.

Although Womack was limited during the spring while working back from shoulder surgery, On3 ranked Womack as a five-star player and the No. 12 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class.

“I think he has some flexibility as a guy that can play the big end position, but we haven’t ruled out how we play him,” Kelly said during the spring. “Is he a stand-up two-point player in a manner that he’s 100 percent of the time a Jack linebacker? No, probably not. That doesn’t mean that we can’t be in four down and he can’t stand up and drop back in a limited fashion to change the looks up because he is so athletic.

“His athletic ability still lends itself to having some of the traits necessary to put him in a hybrid position.”

With all the transfer additions LSU made to its defensive front this offseason, both of these guys may see a limited role. However, we saw a true freshman make a big impact on the edge last fall in [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag], and perhaps one of these two players will be the next one up.

2023 LSU Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 2 Ovie Oghoufo

Ovie Oghoufo, who formerly played at Notre Dame and Texas, will reunite with Brian Kelly for his sixth and final season of eligibility.

Going into the 2023 football season, LSU Wire will be looking at each player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for Brian Kelly this season.

We’re checking out another top transfer addition from the offseason in [autotag]Ovie Oghoufo[/autotag], a sixth-year defensive end. Oghoufo began his career with Kelly at Notre Dame before transferring to Texas in 2021, where he developed into a two-year starter, mostly playing the edge.

Ovie Oghoufo Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Lathrup Village, Michigan

Ht: 6-3

Wt: 245

247Sports Composite Ranking

Three Stars | No. 11 in Michigan | No. 35 Outside Linebacker

Class in 2022: Senior

Career Stats

Year G Total Solo TFL Sack FF PD INT
2018 (Notre Dame) 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2019 (Notre Dame) 8 20 5 2.5 2.5 1 1 0
2020 (Notre Dame) 8 13 9 2.5 2.5 0 2 0
2021 (Texas) 12 42 21 5.5 2.0 0 2 0
2022 (Texas) 13 53 19 7.5 1.5 1 3 0


Depth Chart Overview

After redshirting his first year in South Bend, Oghoufo saw action off the bench in 2019 and the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He ultimately opted to transfer to Texas in 2021, where his playing time increased quite a bit.

In the 25 games he appeared in with the Longhorns over the last two years, he started 20 of them. Though his sack numbers leave something to be desired, he has 13 tackles for loss and 95 total tackles over the last two campaigns.

Now a more finished product than he was at Notre Dame, Kelly will hope the veteran can help replace the losses of starting edge defenders [autotag]BJ Ojulari[/autotag] and [autotag]Ali Gaye[/autotag].

Ovie Oghoufo’s Photo Gallery

Where does ESPN rank LSU’s defense entering 2023 season?

Despite a lot of new faces, ESPN is buying this unit in its latest defensive power rankings for the 2023 season.

LSU returns a lot of talent in 2023 coming off a 10-win, SEC West championship season last fall.

That is especially true on offense, where the team returns starting quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], all of its top running backs, its two best pass-catchers arguably in [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag], as well as an offensive line that is young but promising and brings back all but one starter.

Defensively, though, there are a few more questions. The Tigers lost a good amount of production including their two starting defensive ends and much of their secondary. However, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] hit the portal once again to rebuild.

After adding players like [autotag]JK Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag] in the secondary, as well as linebacker [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag] and defensive line additions like [autotag]Bradyn Swinson[/autotag], [autotag]Ovie Oghoufo[/autotag] and [autotag]Paris Shand[/autotag], this group looks promising despite featuring a lot of new faces for the second year in a row.

Still, ESPN is buying the unit and ranks it as the No. 7 defense in the country entering the season.

2022 future defense power ranking: 9

Scouting the Tigers: LSU’s defense is in a good spot after a solid but not spectacular 2022 season under a new coaching staff. The unit brings back star power, especially with linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. for at least two more seasons. But there are some holes to fill, especially in the secondary and up front, as B.J. Ojulari moves on to the NFL. The return of dynamic defensive tackle Maason Smith, injured while celebrating during the 2022 opener, helps a line that loses both Ojulari and end Ali Gaye. Smith and Mekhi Wingo, a third-team AP All-America selection who had three sacks and six tackles for loss, give the Tigers two interior stalwarts, both with multiple years of eligibility left. Junior end Sai’vion Jones could see a bigger role after finishing third on the team in sacks (4.5) last fall. Jacobian Guillory and Arizona transfer Paris Shand provide depth inside. Ovie Oghoufo, a Texas transfer with 13 career sacks, should help fill the pass-rushing gap.

The Tigers have one of the nation’s best linebacker tandems in Perkins and Omar Speights, an Oregon State transfer who earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2022. The group also boasts junior Greg Penn III, who finished second on the team in tackles last season (78). Junior West Weeks is a solid depth player who had 28 tackles last season. Veteran safety Greg Brooks Jr. will lead the secondary after showing production and playmaking in 2022. Brooks and junior Major Burns project to start at safety. The cornerback spot is a bigger mystery, although LSU has options with transfers Duce Chestnut (Syracuse), Denver Harris (Texas A&M), JK Johnson (Ohio State) and Zy Alexander (Southeastern Louisiana), as well as holdovers such as Sage Ryan, an ESPN top-65 recruit in 2021. LSU also signed Javien Toviano (cornerback) and Da’Shawn Wommack (defensive end). The team’s overall defensive recruiting remains promising.

With the offseason additions plus the return of a budding superstar in linebacker [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag], this defense is certainly promising. You can never know for sure how a defense filled with transfers will look until it takes the field, but there will be no shortage of defensive talent in Baton Rouge this season.

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