Michael Ojemudia has signed, so what’s next for the rookie cornerback?
Jul 22, 2020, 6:37 AM
The Broncos had not yet signed any player from the 2020 NFL Draft at the beginning of this week. That all changed on Tuesday when the first draft pick for the Broncos got his rookie deal done.
Broncos third-round pick Michael Ojemudia agreed to terms on his four-year rookie contract on Tuesday, July 21. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Rookie contracts are fairly easy to work out these days, especially for mid-round picks like Ojemudia. I spent most of Tuesday writing about the 20-plus rookies across the league that signed their contracts, including the Broncos young corner.
The Iowa cornerback has a lot of work ahead of him, and the team really needs him to perform at a high level as a rookie. His contract is done, and now it’s on to the next hurdle for the potential starter.
So, what’s next for Ojemudia? Let’s take a look.
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Impress on the Practice Field
There aren’t going to be any preseason games this year and that could hurt the development of rookies across the league. It’s really unfortunate because the preseason is a big teaching tool for coaches and players wanting to make their way in the NFL. Now, guys like Ojemudia are going to have limited and controlled opportunities to make an impression.
NFL practices aren’t what they used to be. They are a bit more toned down for player safety and having a padded practice is a rarity in today’s NFL. We won’t get to see Ojemudia show off his pad speed and we certainly won’t get to see him hit much or come up in run defense to make a tackle as there’s no live tackling to the ground in practice.
The Broncos will be able to see Ojemudia in coverage drills, and that’s the main part of where he needs to stand out. Denver plays in a tough division and Ojemudia cannot be the weak spot on the defense. When this team goes up against the likes of Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, the rookie will be picked on early and often if he cannot make a play and force the quarterback to look elsewhere.
Ojemudia will not have the ability to go up against any other quarterbacks other than who the Broncos have on the roster. They’re not an experienced group, so he won’t get tested as much as he would if the preseason was here and Ojemudia was going up against a savvy starter or backup. He’s just going to have to make the best of the situation and show that he can make plays in practice.
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Impress in the Meeting Room
When he’s not on the field, Ojemudia needs to impress behind the scenes in the meeting rooms. Vic Fangio’s defense is not easy to learn, so Ojemudia needs to work diligently to pick up this defense as soon as possible. From the sounds of it, the rookie from Iowa is doing just that.
About a month ago, Broncos defensive coordinator Ed Donatell was asked about Ojemudia and praised the way the rookie was picking up the defense.
“What I can tell you is he’s really, really in the top part of the class as far as his learning curve. He’s picked up our scheme in a virtual sense and about as good as you’ll find in a rookie. He’s off to a good start. We’re just really eager to get him on the field and get started coaching him in a physical sense,” Donatell said.
Ojemudia is off to a good start when it comes to picking up the defensive scheme. Now, he needs to take what he’s been learning digitally and apply it to the practice field.
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Maintain His Confidence
Any player in the secondary will say that one needs a short memory to be a quality player in the defensive backfield. With the array of talent on the Broncos roster, there is no doubt that Ojemudia is going to be tested against some of the rising stars at the wide receiver position in Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy. Ojemudia will get burned, so he needs to have a short memory and not let bad plays stick with him.
Confidence is key in life and in football, and Ojemudia was certainly tested by top-tier competition in the Big 10. He played four top-20 schools last year and was tested by guys like Michigan’s Donovan Peoples-Jones (4 catches, 26 yards), Penn State’s K.J. Hamler (7 catches, 61 yards, 1 touchdown), Wisconsin’s Quintez Cephus (5 catches, 94 yards, 1 touchdown) and Minnesota’s Tyler Johnson (9 catches, 170 yards, 1 touchdown). Not all of those catches and yards were against Ojemudia, but all those players were drafted into the league in 2020 and they’ll be making plays in the pros for years to come.
Donatell knows how Ojemudia has been forged by the fire of competition.
“Michael brings size. He brings speed and he can judge a ball down the field deep. Those are very important parts to a DB. He’s really on schedule as a tackler and a hitter, which we know is very important to the Broncos’ style of defense,” Donatell said.
Ojemudia has been tested by quality talent, and those tests will continue in practice. He needs to keep his head up, keep his confidence high, so that he can play at the necessary level early on in the NFL. These Broncos receivers will test his mettle in training camp.
