Kenyan native Rees Odhiambo expected to be drafted in the middle rounds of the 2016 NFL Draft

Posted by Jambo 

PLAYER OVERVIEW

The 2016 NFL Draft isn’t considered to be a particularly strong one for guards. The lack of durability from talented players like Odhiambo is among the reasons why. However, given that the Kenya native only began playing football in high school, he’s viewed as exactly the kind of high upside prospect who gets NFL scouts excited.Perhaps not surprising given his relative lack of experience, Odhiambo redshirted in 2011 and saw limited action a year later, playing in just six games. He won the starting right tackle job in 2013 and remained there until sliding over to left tackle as a senior.

Unfortunately, while he emerged as an All-Mountain West honoree over his final two seasons, Odhiambo struggled with various injuries, raising concerns about his ability to hold up in the NFL – especially if he’s asked to slide inside to the closer quarters at guard.

Odhiambo (pronounced AH-dee-AHM-bo) is a legitimate NFL athlete, however, so if the broken ankle which cut short his final season on the blue turf is cleared, he could generate middle round consideration.

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

STRENGTHS: Odhiamabo looks the part of an NFL offensive lineman with broad shoulders, reasonable arm length and good overall weight distribution with enough room for additional mass. He is quick off the snap and finishes through the whistle with strong hands and toughness. Quick, active hands and plays with a grappler’s mentality, getting in an extra shove when he can.He’s light on his feet, showing the agility and balance to handle blocking space in pass protection as well when run blocking at the second level. Does a nice job keeping his feet squared with his shoulders to mirror in space and, despite bending at the waist too often, Odhiambo stays balanced to anchor at the point of attack. Viewed as an ascending prospect whose best football lies ahead of him.

WEAKNESSES: Has struggled with durability throughout his career, missing at least four games each of the past three seasons, including the final five games of the 2015 season with a broken ankle suffered Oct. 24. Likely will be asked to move inside in the NFL due to his lack of ideal length (reportedly 32-inch arms), which is a position he never played at Boise State.

Has been able to get away with just raw athleticism to this point and must improve in the finer aspects of the game, including playing with more consistent knee bend and recognizing stunts.

IN OUR VIEW: The team willing to roll the dice on Odhiambo could find a middle- or even late-round winner. He possesses the athletic build of a tackle and may be able to remain outside for a zone blocking scheme because of his agility. He lacks ideal length, however, which could make him more of a swing player capable of moving inside or out based on the needs of his team.

He projects best inside to guard but hasn’t yet shown the grit and durability to handle the move inside, making Odhiambo a bit of a project.

-cbssports.com