Notre Dame linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah caught Todd McShay’s eye when the ESPN draft analyst was watching film on the Irish’s 2020 draft prospects.
While re-watching Notre Dame versus Georgia from last fall, a game that featured 13 2020 draft picks, Notre Dame’s then-junior rover stood out. It was his breakout game, with eight tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.
“Owusu-Koramoah keeps distracting me!” McShay tweeted in March. “This dude is all over the field in three tapes studied so far.”
The affection showed up again in McShay’s initial top 32 prospects for the 2021 draft, released Wednesday. He put Owusu-Koramoah at No. 17 in his rankings, making him the second-ranked off-ball linebacker.
“With 80 tackles — including 13.5 for loss — Owusu-Koramoah was an impact player for the Fighting Irish last season,” McShay wrote (ESPN+). “I love everything about his tape. He is fast, he is instinctive and he is only getting stronger as he develops.”
The 13.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage were the second most by a Notre Dame defender since 2006. Only Sheldon Day’s 15.5 in 2015 are higher. Owusu-Koramoah led the team in tackles for loss and tied for the team lead in tackles and sacks (5.5). He also forced two fumbles and recovered two fumbles.
McShay’s colleague, Mel Kiper Jr., also sees Owusu-Koramah as one of Notre Dame’s best draft prospects, slotting him as the No. 2 outside linebacker in his initial position rankings for the 2021 draft earlier in May.
ESPN and Pro Football Focus’ collaboration ranked him as the sixth-best returning linebacker in college football.
“Six of his seven highest-graded games came in his final six games; he didn’t give up a single explosive play over that span and allowed just 36 yards across 114 coverage snaps,” analyst Anthony Treash wrote. “He also recorded 10 pressures on 29 pass-rush reps (five of which were sacks), which further sets the stage for an important 2020 season for the talented sophomore linebacker.
Owusu-Koramoah came to Notre Dame as a safety before moving to the rover spot. When nickel cornerback Shaun Crawford missed four games due to injury, he filled in there as well and rarely came off the field. Pro Football Focus credited him with at least 100 snaps on the defensive line, in the box and at slot corner.
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