Michael Ojemudia

Michael Ojemudia (born September 12, 1997) is an American football cornerback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa.

Michael Ojemudia
No. 23 – Denver Broncos
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1997-09-12) September 12, 1997
Farmington Hills, Michigan
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school:Harrison
(Farmington Hills, Michigan)
College:Iowa
NFL Draft:2020 / Round: 3 / Pick: 77
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2020
Tackles:61
Forced fumbles:4
Fumble recoveries:0
Pass deflections:6
Interceptions:0
Player stats at NFL.com

College career

Playing high school football at Harrison High School in Farmington Hills, Michigan, Ojemudia committed to Iowa as a linebacker on January 28, 2015, choosing the Hawkeyes over Indiana, Wyoming and Eastern Michigan, who all offered scholarships.[1] Ojemudia was trying to chase in-state scholarship offers from Michigan and Michigan State, but they never came.[2]

After redshirting his freshman year at Iowa, the coaching staff moved Ojemudia from safety to cornerback. Ojemudia played in every game as a redshirt freshman. He broke into the starting lineup occasionally during his sophomore season, and improved his play after a midseason benching.[3] and junior season.[4] He moved into a permanent starting role during his senior season.[5] After his senior season, Ojemudia participated in the 2020 Senior Bowl and 2020 NFL Combine.[2]

Personal life

Ojemudia's father, Dennis, was born in Nigeria but later moved to the United States and works as an engineer for Ford Motor Company. Michael, a mechanical engineering major at Iowa, also plans to work in the auto industry once his football career is over.[6] Michael's older brother Mario played college football at Michigan.[5]

Ojemudia was an all-state track athlete in the 110-meter hurdles in high school.[7]

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand size40-yard dash20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jump
6 ft 0 5⁄8 in
(1.84 m)		 200 lb
(91 kg)		 32 1⁄4 in
(0.82 m)		 8 7⁄8 in
(0.23 m)		4.45 s4.21 s6.87 s36.0 in
(0.91 m)		10 ft 2 in
(3.10 m)
All values from NFL Combine[8]

Ojemudia was selected by the Denver Broncos with the 77th overall pick in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft.[9]


2020 season

Ojemudia entered training camp slated as a starting cornerback alongside veterans A.J. Bouye and Bryce Callahan. At the conclusion of training camp, head coach Vic Fangio officially named him a starting cornerback in the Broncos’ nickel defense.

Ojemudia made his first career start and NFL debut in the Broncos’ season-opening loss to the Tennessee Titans. He intercepted a pass in Week 1 that was negated by an unnecessary roughness penalty.[10] In Week 6 of the 2020 season against the New England Patriots, Ojemudia recorded his first career forced fumble on tight end Ryan Izzo which was recovered by the Broncos during the 18–12 win.[11] In Week 15 against the Buffalo Bills, Ojemudia was ejected after punching Bills' wide receiver Gabriel Davis. In Week 17 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Ojemudia forced two fumbles that were both recovered by the Broncos defense during the 32–31 loss.[12]

Ojemudia finished his rookie season appearing in all 16 games (11 starts) recording 62 combined tackles, six passes defended, and four forced fumbles while playing in 78% of the defensive snaps.[13]

References
  1. "Michael Ojemudia, Harrison, Outside Linebacker". 247Sports. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  2. Birkett, Dave (February 29, 2020). "Michael Ojemudia (FH Harrison) the latest in long line of overlooked Iowa defensive backs". Detroit Free Press. Gannett. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  3. Dochterman, Scott (March 8, 2020). "Where Iowa's 2020 NFL Draft locks (and longshots) are most likely to land". The Athletic. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  4. "NFL Draft & Combine Profile - Michael Ojemudia". NFL.com. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  5. Dochterman, Scott (March 10, 2020). "How Michael Ojemudia and Geno Stone will try to extend Iowa's DB pipeline to NFL". The Athletic. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  6. Dochterman, Scott (July 16, 2019). "Michael Ojemudia has a passion for football and auto design, and he's chasing a future that will include both". The Athletic. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  7. Brugler, Dane (April 7, 2020). The Athletic's 2020 NFL Draft Guide (PDF). The Athletic. p. 205. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  8. "Michael Ojemudia Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  9. DiLalla, Aric (April 24, 2020). "Broncos select CB Michael Ojemudia with the 77th-overall pick". Broncos.com. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  10. Hlafs, Mike (September 15, 2020). "Tristan Wirfs, Michael Ojemudia make good first impressions in NFL games". The Gazette. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  11. "Denver Broncos at New England Patriots - October 18th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
  12. "Las Vegas Raiders at Denver Broncos - January 3rd, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  13. "Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos - December 19th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
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