Jayson Oweh Selected No. 31 by Baltimore Ravens in First Round of NFL Draft
The absence of sacks in 2020 were not enough to keep teams away from Jayson Oweh.
The former four-star defensive end recruit out of Howell, New Jersey, was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft Thursday evening.
Despite failing to sack the opposition’s quarterback once in 2020, Oweh saw his draft stock soar after a marvelous performance at Penn State’s pro day in late March. The 6-foot-5-inch, 257-pound Oweh delivered an unheard of 4.36 40-yard dash and a 39.5-inch vertical jump.
Oweh, who is coming off his redshirt sophomore season, played in 24 games during his time at University Park.
Fresh off his redshirt season, Oweh turned heads and was even named Big Ten Freshman of the Week following the Michigan State game. In total, Oweh had five sacks in 2019 and forced two fumbles while recording 21 tackles.
But the 2020 campaign was when Oweh truly made a name for himself. He was a first-team All-Big Ten coaches selection alongside teammate Shaka Toney despite producing a donut in the sack category.
A prominent edge rusher, Oweh had the fourth most tackles on the team with 38. Additionally, he still had 6 1/2 tackles for loss despite none of them being sacks.
Oweh’s career high in tackles came during the Maryland game when he registered 10 of them, five of which were solo tackles.
Now instead of facing Big Ten foes, Oweh will compete on the professional stage, where he will likely remain in his usual role as a quarterback chaser from the end.
Andrew Destin is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ajd6360@psu.edu.
