Tennessee Titans edge rusher and former UCLA Bruin Oluwafemi Oladejo made his NFL debut on Saturday in a 29-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While Oladejo was able to register four tackles, it still left Titans fans looking for a bit more.
Oladejo started the game for the Titans at edge, his rookie season in the NFL will be just his second year at the edge position after previously playing middle linebacker. Tennessee drafted Oladejo in the second round as a bet on his athletic profile and an expectation that he’ll become a more destructive player at the positon, the more reps he gets there.
The Titans’ are in need of immediate help at edge rusher, so a project player like Oladejo was an interesting selection with the 52nd overall pick.
Titans’ writer Zach Lyons didn’t love Oladejo’s reps on Saturday but the performance wasn’t much of a surprise for him either.
“Watched all of #Titans 2nd Round Rookie Femi Oladejo’s snaps. Much like his prospect tape, a very raw talent. Ko Kieft (#41) from the Bucs routinely had him in hell in both pass pro and run blocking,” Lyons posted on Twitter on Sunday. “Slow to diagnose, but you saw him on a play or two at the goaline make an impact, and once or twice for the rest of the plays. A very long road ahead.”
While Oladejo may not have flashed on Saturday, the Titans’ defense allowed just 13 points in the first half but the Bucs’ were able to pull off a 17-play and 10:48 second drive on their second possession of the game.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Titans’ second round pick Oluwafemi Oladejo gets a start in NFL preseason debut
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
