Daily Short #188, June 1st, 2018: Player Audit: Charles Omenihu (Parts 1 and 2)
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PART 1
Player Audit
Player Name: Charles Omenihu
From Texas Athletics (2018 - Senior)
A fourth-year defensive end who has played in 37 career games with 19 starts … chosen to compete in the 2015 Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl … rated the No. 15 weakside DE in the nation by Rivals ... member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll (fall 2016).
As a recruit
Omenihu took great pride in claiming the fact that he was the first player to commit to Charlie Strong's Longhorns. He did so as a 6-5, 230-pound string bean of a defensive end, but it was obvious all along how most thought his development would go: He was to start out in the "FOX" role in Strong and Bedford's scheme which was a weak-side defensive end in a 4-3 under front that was a hybrid 3-3 stack where the FOX played both a proper DE some times and more of an LB at others. The plan was to grow into a 280-plus pound, monstrous frame and become a prototype strong-side 4-3 DE in a college strength and conditioning program. He was considered lower-level-4-star with terrific developmental upside.
For a look back at an in-depth discussion with Omenihu as a recruit, please see my story from the time.
(notes taken from my various reports on him at the time)
(6-26-14 Commit Interview)
"Well coming in, I'm gonna be the 'Shiro guy' - the one who can stand up sometimes and move around, pass-rush and drop into coverage. Like No. 91 (Eagles rookie Marcus Smith) at Louisville. But eventually, they hope I can move over to a more Cedric Reed or Derrick Roberson role where I hold the edge and can take on the point of attack."
(1-8-15 Deep Dig All-Star Game Breakdown)
DE Charles Omenihu - No. 94 West
TEXAS COMMIT
38 snaps
1.5 tackles
2 QB pressures
2 QB hits
1 sack
1 missed tackle
- Comes out and flops sides once he sees the tight end’s alignment (so, he goes to the weak side of the offense’s run strength). The West staff likes him at the weak-side defensive end.
- Has a natural way of getting into the offensive backfield as a pass-rusher and uses his hands, arms and angles to the QB very naturally, but still seems a bit stiff and out-of-balance at times. It makes sense as Omenihu is still growing into a monster’s frame and a bit of clumsiness as he comes into his own is to be expected, like an adolescent Great Dane who sometimes gets his over-sized paws caught up under him.
- Something about Omenihu’s initial move upfield on the weak-side of the defense (probably the little bit of burst followed by a tall-and-upright one-arm-type conversion move) reminds you in many ways of a young Cedric Reed.
Arrival in Austin
(notes taken from my various reports on him at of around the time of his enrollment)
(8-14-15, War Room)
- One person who was at practice on Wednesday said Caleb Bluiett was first-team at FOX, but a separate source said he was not there Thursday. In short, the FOX position has been in flux for most of this week, leading to extra reps for young players. One person said, along with freshman DE Charles Omenihu, freshman LB Cameron Townsend was a player possibly cross-training at the position for now while these minor situations with the starters shake out.
As a Longhorn:
2015 (Freshman) - Came into the season at a reported 6-5, 236 pounds. Played 190 snaps on the season as a true freshman, most at the FOX position, where he gained a lot of good experience acting as a defender in space -- a skill that wasn't necessarily seen at the time as one that would ultimately suit him in the same important ways that reps off the edge as a pin-your-ears-back rusher might have, but Omenihu -- regardless -- was plenty effective on a per-snap basis. His 2.29% market share of the defense's productivity was good for 17th overall on defense, however he was 4th on the team among 100-snap qualifiers in snaps-per-production caused at once per every 8.64 snaps. Ahead of him were only Hassan Ridgeway (5.31), Breckyn Hager (6) and Malik Jefferson (7.13). He only missed one tackle. He surpassed any reasonable efficiency expectations as he was projected by many (including yours truly) to redshirt. His production at a position that seemed to be a way station of sorts en route to a more traditional 4-3 end was viewed as extremely promising for his overall athletic profile moving forward.
2016 (Sophomore) - Came into the season at a reported 6-6, 252 pounds. Played 457 snaps in a defense that shifted more toward the dime/'cheetah' package featuring Malcolm Roach and Breckyn Hager most often at the two ends as Strong and Bedford's time at Texas began to wane. Was responsible for 4.47% of the defensive productivity for the season, which was good for 12th on the team. As for the snaps-per-production-caused (9.93), it did not paint as positive among 100-snap qualifiers as Omenihu finished in 12th per this statistic as well. While the overall productivity did not live up to the billing he came into the season projected with, he did have the second-most pressures on the team (9), miles behind clubhouse leader Malcolm Roach (15) but still second best. He only missed two tackles all season.
2017 (Junior) - Came into the season at a reported 6-7, 280 pounds. (Apparently, he proceeded to shrink an inch and 5 pounds to his reported 6-6 height and 275 pounds for 2018 spring ball as a senior but I digress). Played 551 snaps on the season, only racking up 3.92% of the defensive market share. It was Omenihu's first season in new DC Todd Orlando's 3-4 nickel base defense and he was not as effective. He was 14th on the defense among 100-snap qualifiers, causing production only once per every 15.10 snaps. In a season that saw so many defensive role players soar to new heights in Orlando's aggressive scheme, Omenihu, often tasked with the responsibility of two-gapping to free up linebackers to crash down or spill over freely at times, was seemingly affected in an opposite manner. The one area where he shined was in the QB hits department, where he led the defense with 7 over close competitors in Malik Jefferson (6) and Breckyn Hager (6). He missed 4 tackles on the year. In the bowl game, however, Omenihu shined. He was the 4th-most productive defender versus Missouri and generated production once per every 4.88 snaps (also 4th). When the season ended, he sought feedback on his NFL status but, unlike so many other uncerclassmen on the 2017 team, decided to return to Texas after receiving advice from the committee to do so.
PART 2
AUDIT FINDINGS
Accomplishments:
Has become a mainstay on the Texas defense coming into his senior year and would be viewed as a substantial and significant loss should he incur injury. He's likely to be elected a captain for the 2018 team. Made the commissioner's honor roll in 2016. He's completely transformed his body to his originally desired 280-pound, long and beastly frame and has opened the eyes of NFL scouts at least to some degree. He's a very sure tackler as shown in his missed tackle statistics which are exemplary. It is also telling that he only blew one outside-contain responsibility for the whole 2017 season which tasked him with a lot of situations in which he was responsible not only for the inside b-gap but also as a force defender to c-gap and beyond. He showed in the most recent bowl game that he's capable of making a large individual impact defensively up against an SEC offense that came into the matchup with a whole lot of hype and positive press in Drew Lock's Mizzou Tigers.
Concerns and areas where improvement is needed:
He hasn't truly lived up to expectations on an actual football field in a consistent manner and the most concerning part of this bit is that Omenihu's production saw a marked decrease in 2017 within Todd Orlando's new 3-4 scheme. The fact of the matter is that Omenihu has indeed grown into the prototypical, standard-issue 4-3 college defensive end that every fan hoped for right before their very eyes over the last three seasons, but the problem is that Texas doesn't play in a 4-3 defense anymore. There are still questions as to whether his ultimate ceiling will ever be reached playing in more of an "anchor-down" strong 3-4-end role than a traditional and proper bend-the-edge strong 4-3-end role. Omenihu's length and burst off the football, when harnessed in games with this sort of alignment, is what led to a great bit of his success in 2017 with the team-lead in QB hits. The concern is not whether he can do that consistently, the concern is, rather, whether he'll be put in position to do it consistently based on scheme. The same length that allows Omenihu the ability to utilize Jason Taylor long-arm pass-rush moves and others of that ilk can be a hinderance in base 3-4 sets as anchoring 3-4 DEs often benefit from being more of a "fireplug"-type. It was what made Poona Ford's flourishing in the interior of the same defense so much more impressive as his arms were so long, hence the need for more strength and effort to engage, push linemen off, and diagnose responsibility from side-to-side.
Conclusion:
Charles Omenihu will likely be drafted with a 2018 performance that is merely "OK" to the naked eye. Something like 7th on the team in market-share and around the same in snaps-per-production-caused. (Note: this would technically represent a decently substantial improvement from 2017). In this scenario, scouts will project him as a 4-3 DE and likely believe he'll be much more effective in a pro scheme tailored to more of his strengths and attributes. With a big season where he lands atop the market-share leaderboards (which is certainly possible as sacks count as big-time production in the rankings), he could make himself a lot of money given how NFL teams like players from Orlando's system. However, if he continues the trend that seems to have begun in 2017 and regresses again from last year's form in 2018, he'll have a lot of questions to answer much like Cedric Reed in his senior season (which we later found was played with a meniscus injury) and led to an undrafted free agent slide in the draft.
This player audit filed on Friday June 1st, the year of our Lord 2018; in the county of Travis, state of Texas.
presented by the Dental Offices of Wendy Swantkowski, DDS
The Absolute BEST in family and cosmetic dentistry for the Houston-Memorial Area
Now Accepting New Patients --- 281-293-9140
Support the Short by supporting our sponsor - Give Wendy a call today!
PART 1
Player Audit
Player Name: Charles Omenihu
From Texas Athletics (2018 - Senior)
A fourth-year defensive end who has played in 37 career games with 19 starts … chosen to compete in the 2015 Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl … rated the No. 15 weakside DE in the nation by Rivals ... member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll (fall 2016).
As a recruit
Omenihu took great pride in claiming the fact that he was the first player to commit to Charlie Strong's Longhorns. He did so as a 6-5, 230-pound string bean of a defensive end, but it was obvious all along how most thought his development would go: He was to start out in the "FOX" role in Strong and Bedford's scheme which was a weak-side defensive end in a 4-3 under front that was a hybrid 3-3 stack where the FOX played both a proper DE some times and more of an LB at others. The plan was to grow into a 280-plus pound, monstrous frame and become a prototype strong-side 4-3 DE in a college strength and conditioning program. He was considered lower-level-4-star with terrific developmental upside.
For a look back at an in-depth discussion with Omenihu as a recruit, please see my story from the time.
(notes taken from my various reports on him at the time)
(6-26-14 Commit Interview)
"Well coming in, I'm gonna be the 'Shiro guy' - the one who can stand up sometimes and move around, pass-rush and drop into coverage. Like No. 91 (Eagles rookie Marcus Smith) at Louisville. But eventually, they hope I can move over to a more Cedric Reed or Derrick Roberson role where I hold the edge and can take on the point of attack."
(1-8-15 Deep Dig All-Star Game Breakdown)
DE Charles Omenihu - No. 94 West
TEXAS COMMIT
38 snaps
1.5 tackles
2 QB pressures
2 QB hits
1 sack
1 missed tackle
- Comes out and flops sides once he sees the tight end’s alignment (so, he goes to the weak side of the offense’s run strength). The West staff likes him at the weak-side defensive end.
- Has a natural way of getting into the offensive backfield as a pass-rusher and uses his hands, arms and angles to the QB very naturally, but still seems a bit stiff and out-of-balance at times. It makes sense as Omenihu is still growing into a monster’s frame and a bit of clumsiness as he comes into his own is to be expected, like an adolescent Great Dane who sometimes gets his over-sized paws caught up under him.
- Something about Omenihu’s initial move upfield on the weak-side of the defense (probably the little bit of burst followed by a tall-and-upright one-arm-type conversion move) reminds you in many ways of a young Cedric Reed.
Arrival in Austin
(notes taken from my various reports on him at of around the time of his enrollment)
(8-14-15, War Room)
- One person who was at practice on Wednesday said Caleb Bluiett was first-team at FOX, but a separate source said he was not there Thursday. In short, the FOX position has been in flux for most of this week, leading to extra reps for young players. One person said, along with freshman DE Charles Omenihu, freshman LB Cameron Townsend was a player possibly cross-training at the position for now while these minor situations with the starters shake out.
As a Longhorn:
2015 (Freshman) - Came into the season at a reported 6-5, 236 pounds. Played 190 snaps on the season as a true freshman, most at the FOX position, where he gained a lot of good experience acting as a defender in space -- a skill that wasn't necessarily seen at the time as one that would ultimately suit him in the same important ways that reps off the edge as a pin-your-ears-back rusher might have, but Omenihu -- regardless -- was plenty effective on a per-snap basis. His 2.29% market share of the defense's productivity was good for 17th overall on defense, however he was 4th on the team among 100-snap qualifiers in snaps-per-production caused at once per every 8.64 snaps. Ahead of him were only Hassan Ridgeway (5.31), Breckyn Hager (6) and Malik Jefferson (7.13). He only missed one tackle. He surpassed any reasonable efficiency expectations as he was projected by many (including yours truly) to redshirt. His production at a position that seemed to be a way station of sorts en route to a more traditional 4-3 end was viewed as extremely promising for his overall athletic profile moving forward.
2016 (Sophomore) - Came into the season at a reported 6-6, 252 pounds. Played 457 snaps in a defense that shifted more toward the dime/'cheetah' package featuring Malcolm Roach and Breckyn Hager most often at the two ends as Strong and Bedford's time at Texas began to wane. Was responsible for 4.47% of the defensive productivity for the season, which was good for 12th on the team. As for the snaps-per-production-caused (9.93), it did not paint as positive among 100-snap qualifiers as Omenihu finished in 12th per this statistic as well. While the overall productivity did not live up to the billing he came into the season projected with, he did have the second-most pressures on the team (9), miles behind clubhouse leader Malcolm Roach (15) but still second best. He only missed two tackles all season.
2017 (Junior) - Came into the season at a reported 6-7, 280 pounds. (Apparently, he proceeded to shrink an inch and 5 pounds to his reported 6-6 height and 275 pounds for 2018 spring ball as a senior but I digress). Played 551 snaps on the season, only racking up 3.92% of the defensive market share. It was Omenihu's first season in new DC Todd Orlando's 3-4 nickel base defense and he was not as effective. He was 14th on the defense among 100-snap qualifiers, causing production only once per every 15.10 snaps. In a season that saw so many defensive role players soar to new heights in Orlando's aggressive scheme, Omenihu, often tasked with the responsibility of two-gapping to free up linebackers to crash down or spill over freely at times, was seemingly affected in an opposite manner. The one area where he shined was in the QB hits department, where he led the defense with 7 over close competitors in Malik Jefferson (6) and Breckyn Hager (6). He missed 4 tackles on the year. In the bowl game, however, Omenihu shined. He was the 4th-most productive defender versus Missouri and generated production once per every 4.88 snaps (also 4th). When the season ended, he sought feedback on his NFL status but, unlike so many other uncerclassmen on the 2017 team, decided to return to Texas after receiving advice from the committee to do so.
PART 2
AUDIT FINDINGS
Accomplishments:
Has become a mainstay on the Texas defense coming into his senior year and would be viewed as a substantial and significant loss should he incur injury. He's likely to be elected a captain for the 2018 team. Made the commissioner's honor roll in 2016. He's completely transformed his body to his originally desired 280-pound, long and beastly frame and has opened the eyes of NFL scouts at least to some degree. He's a very sure tackler as shown in his missed tackle statistics which are exemplary. It is also telling that he only blew one outside-contain responsibility for the whole 2017 season which tasked him with a lot of situations in which he was responsible not only for the inside b-gap but also as a force defender to c-gap and beyond. He showed in the most recent bowl game that he's capable of making a large individual impact defensively up against an SEC offense that came into the matchup with a whole lot of hype and positive press in Drew Lock's Mizzou Tigers.
Concerns and areas where improvement is needed:
He hasn't truly lived up to expectations on an actual football field in a consistent manner and the most concerning part of this bit is that Omenihu's production saw a marked decrease in 2017 within Todd Orlando's new 3-4 scheme. The fact of the matter is that Omenihu has indeed grown into the prototypical, standard-issue 4-3 college defensive end that every fan hoped for right before their very eyes over the last three seasons, but the problem is that Texas doesn't play in a 4-3 defense anymore. There are still questions as to whether his ultimate ceiling will ever be reached playing in more of an "anchor-down" strong 3-4-end role than a traditional and proper bend-the-edge strong 4-3-end role. Omenihu's length and burst off the football, when harnessed in games with this sort of alignment, is what led to a great bit of his success in 2017 with the team-lead in QB hits. The concern is not whether he can do that consistently, the concern is, rather, whether he'll be put in position to do it consistently based on scheme. The same length that allows Omenihu the ability to utilize Jason Taylor long-arm pass-rush moves and others of that ilk can be a hinderance in base 3-4 sets as anchoring 3-4 DEs often benefit from being more of a "fireplug"-type. It was what made Poona Ford's flourishing in the interior of the same defense so much more impressive as his arms were so long, hence the need for more strength and effort to engage, push linemen off, and diagnose responsibility from side-to-side.
Conclusion:
Charles Omenihu will likely be drafted with a 2018 performance that is merely "OK" to the naked eye. Something like 7th on the team in market-share and around the same in snaps-per-production-caused. (Note: this would technically represent a decently substantial improvement from 2017). In this scenario, scouts will project him as a 4-3 DE and likely believe he'll be much more effective in a pro scheme tailored to more of his strengths and attributes. With a big season where he lands atop the market-share leaderboards (which is certainly possible as sacks count as big-time production in the rankings), he could make himself a lot of money given how NFL teams like players from Orlando's system. However, if he continues the trend that seems to have begun in 2017 and regresses again from last year's form in 2018, he'll have a lot of questions to answer much like Cedric Reed in his senior season (which we later found was played with a meniscus injury) and led to an undrafted free agent slide in the draft.
This player audit filed on Friday June 1st, the year of our Lord 2018; in the county of Travis, state of Texas.
