DraftNasty lenses: Oluwole Betiku, Jr. 6’3 250 DE-Illinois
2 min readBetiku’s activity last Saturday versus UConn was noteworthy, but should have been expected after his Week 1 performance against Akron. The graduate transfer from USC dealt with offseason hip surgery in 2018 but has responded favorably since coming to Champaign. While his snap count reactions vary, he displays very good play strength. From either a right-handed or left-handed stance (RDE or LDE), he works to press his inside shoulder versus the offensive tackle’s high shoulder to press the pocket over the top. Many of his sacks thus far in 2019 have come from him finishing through the down. In a defense that has been effective running line games, his activity winning on spikes (stunts that attack the inside shoulder of offensive linemen) has been noteworthy through two weeks. He currently leads the nation in quarterback sacks (6) and tackles for losses (7.5).
From either a right-handed or left-handed stance (RDE or LDE), he (No. 47 pictured at the top of the screen) works to press his inside shoulder versus the offensive tackle’s high shoulder to press the pocket over the top. Many of his sacks thus far in 2019 have come from him finishing through the down.
In this pregame repetition prior to the UConn game on September, 7, 2019, Betiku is matched against Illinois 6-foot-6, 320-pound left tackle Vederian Lowe (No. 79 pictured). Due to Lowe's bulk and width, Betiku's feet do not point in a direction towards the quarterback. This causes him to get pushed up the field initially. Despite containing definitive play strength, bigger offensive tackles can sometimes engulf and shield him from the action on his up-and-under rip moves.
This photo represents how the upward movement of his rip move allows him to circle over the top of Lowe (No. 79 pictured). In addition, his activity winning on spikes (stunts that attack the inside shoulder of offensive linemen) has been noteworthy through two weeks. He currently leads the nation in quarterback sacks and tackles for losses.