With being more than halfway through the College Football season, FantasyPros will be taking a look at early NFL Draft scouting reports before the Combine in March. Here’s a look at Ruke Orhorhoro.

• 2024 NFL Draft Guide
• 2024 NFL Draft Prospects to Watch: QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | iOL | DL | EDGE | LB | S | CB
• 2024 NFL Mock Draft: First Round Picks & Predictions

2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Ruke Orhorhoro

Ruke Orhorhoro (DL – Clemson)

6’4” – 295 lbs.

Background:

Originally from Nigeria, moved to the United States when he was nine. Rotated into the defense for a combined 113 snaps over 2019 and 2020, with four total tackles. Started nine of thirteen games played in 2021 (504 snaps), finished with 36-8.0-2.5, then had a similar line of 23-8.0-4.0 in 2022.

Positives:

Worked his way into one of the top defensive tackle rotations in the country and has put together three productive seasons. Has been asked to play both the one-technique and three-technique in college, and looks like a good fit for a five-tech in the pros. Carries his weight well and appears to have impressive length. Pretty good short-area athlete. Shows some suddenness out of his stance to threaten gaps, with a nice rip move and the ability to skinny between linemen. Gets good extension to lock out opponents. Lower-body strength is good, especially for his size; shows the ability to bend at the knees and dig in, even against some double-teams. Makes an effort to compete in the leverage battle. Contact balance is solid. Has an impressive tackling radius when in position to make a play. Flashes pretty strong hands and a swipe move to discard. Has adequate functional strength to grind down the pocket with power; even able to generate some movement with a one-armed bull-rush. Impressive bend and ability to redirect.

Negatives:

Might be taller than some teams would like in a nose tackle. Snap-to-snap play varies more than desired; discipline with his technique and run fits also lacking. Inconsistent pad level out of his stance. Can struggle to locate the football while engaged; must improve awareness on rushing downs. Gets washed down the line on some lateral rushing attempts. Range in pursuit is limited. Tends to stay stuck on blocks when his initial approach is unsuccessful; ends up idling around the line of scrimmage and trying to bat passes on many passing downs. Relies heavily on his rip move and isn’t particularly active with his hands on most snaps.

Summary:

A tall, well-built defensive lineman who played different techniques in school. Flashes the suddenness to disrupt gaps and the lower-body strength and extension to two-gap in the run game, but can struggle to locate the football. Needs to play with more consistent discipline/technique. Has some ugly reps and some very impressive ones. As he continues to refine his game, could theoretically play in almost any type of defensive front because of his solid combination of physical and athletic tools.

Projection: Round 3-4