NFL Draft: Bengals select outside linebacker in third round

Those traits were the obvious reasons Cincinnati liked him enough to pick him No. 69 overall.

“I just described it as relentless,” Ossai said of how he attacks the football on defense. “Fearless and relentless because I’m not afraid of anybody on that field. And I can’t wait to prove that. No disrespect to anybody, but it’s just, I can’t wait to prove it.”

Ossai, a 6-foot-3, 257-pound lineman, does have something to prove. After playing as an edge rusher in high school, he was used in more of a stand-up, drop-back role his first two seasons at Texas. It wasn’t until switching to the Jack linebacker position, a defensive end in most systems, in 2020 that he really showed what he could do.

Now, it’s a matter of refining his technique to continue developing as an edge rusher in the NFL. Ossai was a consensus All-America honors in 2020 with first-team recognition from the Associated Press, Football Writers Association of American and Walter Camp Football Foundation, a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award and also a first-team All-Big 12 honoree. He tied for third in the FBS with 16 tackles for loss and led Texas with 5.5 sacks in nine starts to go along with 55 total stops, two pass breakups and three forced fumbles.

“You look at the guy and he jumps off the tape,” defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said. “He’s explosive, has great length, brings some position flex, and plays the game the right way. He plays extremely hard. I’m excited about what he brings to the table.”

Ossai said his motor comes from competing with his siblings all the time but also a lesson he received when his high school coach freshman year called him out for not finishing a play when the opposing tight end made a catch. The next time that same play happened, he ran and punched the ball loose.

“It was Euphoria when that happened so ever since then I just have to get to that ball,” Ossai said. “It’s like Road Runner. Who does he chase? The cartoon — when he’s chasing that bird. That’s how I feel when I’m chasing that ball. So, maybe that could be a nickname. Road Runner, something like that.”

Bengals coach Zac Taylor said the staff expects Ossai to see a lot of playing time as a rotational defensive end, a third guy coming in for a lot of snaps behind Sam Hubbard or Trey Hendrickson.

Some draft analysts had Ossai going in the top 50, and the Bengals felt fortunate to be able to scoop him up in the third round after hitting on their two biggest offensive needs with their first two picks.

“We certainly did not expect him to be there where he was, but again, that happens,” Taylor said. “Everyone’s board is different, so it’s not shocking that something like that would happen. But when it comes to your pick, we’re watching every pick tick off the clock there and you’re hoping he’s going to be there anyway. So we’re fired up about him.”