Steelers Rival Could Cut Second-Round Pick

One of the Pittsburgh Steelers' AFC North rivals may cut ties with a former second-round pick of theirs who once flashed plenty of upside.

While discussing players who may find themselves on the roster bubble or available for trade before the regular season begins, The Athletic's Baltimore Ravens beat reporter Jeff Zrebiec singled out edge rusher David Ojabo.

"When the Ravens used a second-round pick on David Ojabo in 2022, they understood that the edge rusher would miss a chunk of his rookie season after he tore his Achilles at Michigan’s pro day," he wrote. "They also knew he was a raw prospect who would need to develop. Ojabo is running out of time. He has four sacks and eight quarterback hits in parts of three seasons. He’s missed a lot of game and practice time with injuries, and he’s yet to carve out a regular role in the outside linebacker rotation."

In 2021, his only year as a starter for Michigan, Ojabo was one of college football's breakout stars with 11 sacks and a Big Ten-leading five forced fumbles in 14 total games.

As Zrebiec mentioned, however, Ojabo tore his Achilles ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft while at the program's Pro Day. It was an unfortunate turn of events that had major ramifications for his stock, especially considering that he was viewed as a first-round talent.

The Ravens took a chance on him, and he'd make his NFL debut in Week 15 of the 2022 campaign. Ojabo would only appear in three games during his sophomore season due to a partially torn ACL that he suffered in Week 3, further delaying his development.

The 25-year-old carved out a consistent role as a rotational pass rusher with the team in 2024, logging six quarterback hits and two sacks over 13 contests while playing a total of 275 defensive snaps.

With a deep group of edge rushers surrounding him, though, Ojabo is up against it in terms of his fight to secure a 53-man roster spot throughout training camp and the preseason.

"Starters Kyle Van Noy and Oweh, who both had double-digit sacks last year, are returning, and so is Tavius Robinson, a young role player the coaching staff loves," Zrebiec wrote. "The Ravens added to their edge rusher mix by drafting Mike Green in the second round. They also want to see more of 2024 third-round pick Adisa Isaac, whose rookie season was marred by injuries. Keeping more than five outside linebackers would be prohibitive to roster building, so Ojabo very easily could be looking for a new team later this summer."

Ojabo still holds plenty of potential, but it doesn't feel like Baltimore is a longterm destination for him. It wouldn't be surprising to see him dealt or released later in the summer, and perhaps Pittsburgh could show interest in him at that point in time.