Albert Okwuegbunam Could be a Nice Addition to the Redskins Depleted TE Room

Albert Okwuegbunam, TE
School: Missouri | Conference: SEC
College Experience: RS-Junior | Age: 21
Height / Weight: 6’5” / 258 lbs
Projected Draft Status: Round 3 or 4
NFL Comaprison: OJ Howard

College Statistics

Player Overview

For a team looking to add a tight end who was productive in college, and possesses the necessary physical/athletic attributes to succeed in the NFL, they might want to consider Missouri’s Albert “O”. Albert Okwuegbunam (pronounced O-coo-WAY-boo-nham) was an athletic standout and 3-star recruit coming out of Sacred Heart Griffin High School in Springfield, Illinois. After receiving offers from Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska and West Virginia, Albert signed a letter of intent in 2016 to play for the Tigers.

After arriving on campus in Columbia, Missouri, Okwuegbunam took a redshirt in 2016 to focus on adding more weight to his long frame. In 2017, his redshirt freshman year, Albert reeled in 11 touchdown passes, which were the most in the country that year for a TE. Thanks to this effort, he garnished All-SEC and All-SEC Freshman honors. Okwuegbunam would again receive All-SEC honors after his 2019 season, even though he was only able to start 9 games due to a shoulder injury. His 23 career touchdowns are the second most in Mizzou school history.

Strengths

• He possesses Ideal size for the position, which will allow him to be used as an inline blocker, as well as a pass catcher in the red zone
• Speed is not an issue for Okwuegbunam as he recently clocked a 4.49 40 yard dash at the scouting combine (fastest time among TE’s in Indianapolis)
• Has been observed having strong and natural hands when catching the ball
• Does a very good job of tracking the ball in the air for a TE his size

Weaknesses

• While he has been a willing blocker on film, he will need to refine his technique (especially his footwork)
• His route running leaves a lot to be desired and will need to improve at the next level
• Has a history of missing games due to injuries (including the final four games of 2018 with a broken scapula)

Let’s See His Work

How He Would Fit

I’d be willing to bet that there were fans that absolutely cringed, if not fully gave up reading this profile, once they saw Okwuegbunam’s injury history listed above. I couldn’t blame them, after all, this is a fan base that has had to watch TE1 Jordan Reed miss game after game (including the entirety of the 2019 season) with various ailments for years now. Now with Reed’s departure and Vernon Davis’ retirement, the cupboard is left bare at TE. There has been word this off-season that the Redskins will be in heavy on pending free agent Austin Hooper, among others at the position. But even if the Redskins do open up their wallet for a veteran, they really should consider adding a total of two new players to the TE room. While Okwuegbunam does have starter potential, he would be a great TE2 initially; and his size and athleticism would be a huge bonus when the offense is running a two TE set. Will Ron Rivera and company overlook Okwuegbunam’s injury history and take a chance on his athletic upside? Stay tuned Skins fans.