Notre Dame football: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah named top-10 rookie
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team had a star at linebacker in 2020, and after his first season in the NFL, it is clear the Cleveland Browns do too.
During his final season with the Notre Dame football team, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah dominated the college football landscape. An All-American for the Irish, JOK was the key to a defense that led the Irish to the College Football Playoff, and it was a foregone conclusion that he would be a first-round pick in 2021.
However, due to a medical issue detected during the draft process, JOK fell to the second round, where the Cleveland Browns picked him with the No. 52 overall selection. It was one of the bigger shocks of the 2021 NFL Draft, and based on what the league got to see from Owusu-Koramoah in Year 1, he proved to be a steal for the Browns.
He battled COVID early on, and then an ankle injury, but once he got going, he was clearly one of the best rookies of the 2021 draft class. For the season, Owusu-Koramoah racked up 76 tackles and forced two fumbles, displaying the kind of athleticism that made him a dynamic player in South Bend.
Notre Dame football star named in top-10 by ESPN
Though he fell to the second round, JOK played like a first-rounder for the second half of the season, and recently was named one of the top-10 rookies of the 2021 campaign. ESPN’s list included mostly first-round picks, but JOK, Creed Humphrey of Kansas City, and Jevon Holland from Oregon were the three second-rounders to be named.
In the article, author Jeff Legwold discussed the notion of the Browns letting JOK get more involved in the pass rush next season, which is something I can see happening. Cleveland should be one of the top teams in the AFC next season, and in Owusu-Koramoah, they have a linebacker they can build their defense around.