One of Nebraska football’s top pass-rushers is leaning towards going into the 2023 NFL draft. Ochaun Mathis tweeted on Tuesday that he was leaning towards the NFL. He indicated that he was going to speak with former Nebraska football interim head coach Mickey Joseph about the potential move.
Mathis came to Nebraska after spending his previous four seasons at TCU. He played in 12 games in Lincoln, recording 48 tackles 3.5 sacks, and two pass deflections.
He recorded eight tackles in the season opener against Northwestern, which ended up being a season-high for him. He got better as the season went on and recorded 2.5 sacks over his final four games. He recorded seven tackles against Oklahoma on September 17 and six tackles against Purdue on October 15. Mathis was able to pressure quarterbacks as the season went on, and it appeared as though he got more comfortable in the defensive scheme.
This would be a loss for Nebraska, as Mathis does give the program an aggressive player who can get after the quarterback. His 48 tackles were good for seventh on the team. His 3.5 sacks ranked second behind Garrett Nelson.
He ranks as the 172nd overall player in the 2023 draft class, and the 34th overall player at the defensive line position, per NFLDraftBuzz.com
It will be intriguing to see what he does, as Nebraska enters a new coaching regime under Matt Rhule. A potential departure would certainly leave a hole in the Nebraska defense. However, there could be a lot of turn-over on the roster as this new coaching staff identifies the players that best fit their team and their scheme.
Comments / 0