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David Ojabo began the draft process as a first-round prospect, with a chance to go top 15. However, he tore his Achilles during his pro day, leading to a drop out of day one.
So entering the second round, Ojabo wasn’t sure where he was going to go. So, when the Ravens took him with pick No. 45, he was relieved.
“It felt like it was like a weight off my shoulders,” Ojabo says to Sports Illustrated’s Alex Prewitt. “I felt like I could breathe again. Because I knew it was coming, it’s just a matter of when. And now it’s come, I’m so happy.”
While he is joining a new team, he will have a few familiar faces to lean on. Baltimore’s new defensive coordinator is Mike MacDonald, who spent last year as Ojabo’s coordinator with Michigan. And Baltimore’s head coach, John Harbaugh, is the brother of Ojabo’s college coach, Jim Harbaugh.
Regardless of where he ended up, Ojabo knew he was going to make the most of his new opportunity.
“At the end of the day, when I know what I bring—first-round talent—anything past that was a weight in my head,” he says to Prewitt. “But like I said, all I needed was an opportunity. And that’s what I got. So I’m so grateful for the Ravens to take a chance on me.”
Recovering from an achilles injury is not an easy rehab process, and Ojabo understands that. However, he has already over getting drafted and moved on to getting healthy.
“I’m already in what’s next mode,” he says. “Just trying to figure out how to get this recovery going, when I’m gonna fly over, but like I said tonight I’m gonna enjoy the moment with my family and friends.”
