Ruke Orhorhoro

Ruke Orhorhoro is a flexible DT/DE entering his 5th season with the Clemson Tigers. While a bit light for the position in the pros at 290 lbs., Orhorhoro has the play strength and athletic ability to line up at multiple positions across the defensive line. While he is mainly used as a 3-technique, Orhorhoro also lines up from the nose tackle position, 1-tech and as a 5-tech as well. Orhorhoro can be a dangerous interior pass rusher at times for the Tigers. He has good first-step explosiveness and often makes first contact on opposing blockers. He has above average power off of his burst and will occasionally push blockers off of their anchor and into the backfield. He also has a surprisingly deep bag of pass rushing moves, mainly utilizing swim moves and rip moves. However, Orhorhoro can get stuck on interior blocks. Though he has good play strength, he can struggle to gain any ground if his initial pass rush plan is thwarted, or if he does not get a good enough jump. He can also struggle to finish plays off. Orhorhoro can be counted on as a good disruptor; somebody who forces the QB to either hurry their pass or run outside the pocket to escape him. His sack opportunities are limited because of this, but there are also times where the QB can simply just outmaneuver him and avoid the sack that way. He can miss tackles on QBs, and while he is faster than some bigger DTs, he is not the ideal defender in pursuit. Orhorhoro will get his hands up and into passing lanes and will bat or deflect a few passes down at the line of scrimmage per season. As a run defender, Orhorhoro’s strength creates opportunities to blow plays up in the backfield, although not at a consistent level. His burst and lateral agility allows him to slip through blockers and reach the backfield quickly. Even when he cannot break free from his block, he can use his strength and wingspan to clog up run lanes to the best of his ability. There are some instances of Orhorhoro using his strength to push away from his blocker, but there are far too many plays where he gets stuck at the line of scrimmage.