RJ Oben is a name that scouting departments have been circling for a long time, but for the average fan, the hype is just now reaching a boiling point. Honestly, if you look at the raw numbers from his 2024 season at Notre Dame, you might feel underwhelmed. One sack. Nineteen tackles. It doesn't exactly scream "first-round lock," does it? But the NFL doesn't draft for what you did in a specific scheme; they draft for what you can do when the leash is off.
The RJ Oben NFL Draft conversation is nuanced. It’s a story of a player with NFL royalty in his blood—his dad is former Super Bowl champ Roman Oben—who decided to bet on himself by moving from Duke to South Bend for a graduate year. He wanted to prove he could handle the "big stage" and a pro-style defense. While his stat line took a dip, the tape shows a different story. NFL scouts see a 6’3”, 255-pound edge rusher with 33-inch arms who knows how to use them.
The Reality of the Transition
When Oben left Duke, he was a known commodity. He’d put up 14.5 sacks over his career with the Blue Devils and was consistently one of the most disruptive forces in the ACC. He had a 17.6% win rate on pass rushes, which is elite territory. Then he arrived at Notre Dame.
The Irish defense under Al Washington isn't built to let one guy just pin his ears back and hunt. It’s a disciplined, gap-control system. Oben was asked to set the edge, handle double teams, and essentially do the dirty work that allows linebackers to look like superstars.
That’s why he’s a "projection" player.
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If you're a GM, you aren't looking at the one sack against Georgia; you're looking at the 27 pressures he generated the year before. You're looking at his hand technique. Most college kids just try to out-athlete people. Oben doesn't do that. He has a plan. He uses a two-hand swipe that is, quite frankly, beautiful to watch when it works. If the tackle oversets, he has a counter-spin that's already NFL-ready.
RJ Oben NFL Draft: The Physical Profile and Testing
Let’s talk about the numbers that actually matter to the guys in the war rooms. Oben isn't a "freak" in the sense of a Myles Garrett or a Micah Parsons. He’s more of a technician.
- Height: 6’3 3/8”
- Weight: 251–265 lbs (fluctuated during the season)
- Arm Length: 33 5/8”
- Bench Press: 26 reps
He’s strong. Like, surprisingly strong. At his Pro Day, he put up 26 reps on the bench, which puts him in the upper echelon of edge defenders. His 40-yard dash time of 4.93 might look "slow" to a casual fan used to seeing wide receivers run 4.3s, but for a 260-pound man whose primary job is to move five yards and hit someone, it’s functional.
The concern some scouts have is his "bend." Some analysts call him a "stiff" mover. They worry that he doesn't have that elite ankle flexion to dip under a tackle’s hands at the top of the arc.
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Where Does He Actually Get Drafted?
There’s a lot of chatter about Oben being a Day 3 pick. Some mock drafts have him in the 5th round, while others, like The Draft Network, have seen him as high as a Day 2 prospect depending on the team's scheme.
If a team runs a 3-4 and wants an outside linebacker who can actually hold up against the run, Oben is their guy. If a team wants a situational pass rusher who can come in on 3rd-and-long and use a refined move set, he’s their guy too.
The "Clelin Ferrell" comparison has been floating around. It’s not meant as a slight. It means he’s a high-floor, reliable player who does everything "right" even if he doesn't have 15-sack-a-season upside. He’s a pro’s pro.
Basically, you’re getting a guy who grew up in NFL locker rooms. His father, Roman, is the NFL’s Vice President of Football Development. RJ knows the business. He knows the work. You don't have to worry about his "motor" or his "character." Those are locked in.
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The Missing Piece: Special Teams
One thing that might hold him back from being a higher pick is his lack of special teams experience. At Duke and Notre Dame, he was too valuable on the line to risk on the punt unit. In the NFL, if you're a 5th-round pick, you have to play special teams. Oben is going to have to prove in rookie minicamps that he can cover a kickoff or block on a return unit.
If he can't do that, he might start his career on a practice squad. But honestly? With his frame and his pedigree, someone is going to take a flyer on him because you can't teach 33-inch arms and a high football IQ.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
Keep an eye on the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Bowl results. Oben was a Senior Bowl invitee, and those practices are where he can win back the "draft stock" he supposedly lost due to low production in 2024.
For those tracking the RJ Oben NFL Draft journey, look for these specific indicators:
- Scheme Fit: Watch if he lands with a team like the Ravens, Steelers, or Titans—teams that value "heavy" edge players who can stop the run.
- Weight Watch: If he shows up to camps closer to 265, he’s likely being viewed as a 4-3 DE. If he’s down to 245, he’s a 3-4 OLB.
- Hand Usage: If he continues to refine his "swipe and rip" moves, he could contribute as a sub-package rusher as early as Week 1.
The bottom line is that Oben is a developmental piece with a very high floor. He’s not a project you have to teach how to play football; he’s a technician who just needs the right environment to let his traits shine. He might not be the first name called, but he’s the kind of player who is still in the league ten years from now.