The Pittsburgh Steelers continued their efforts to bolster their defensive line depth on Wednesday by signing DT Esezi Otomewo. A fifth-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in the 2022 NFL Draft, he played in four games for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024.
Steelers Depot’s Josh Carney took a look at Otomewo’s limited NFL tape (he’s only appeared in nine games so far) to see what the Steelers are getting on the field. But who is Otomewo?
Big Senior Year In Indiana
Otomewo grew up in Indianapolis where he attended Ben Davis High School. In his senior year, he had 69 tackles, two passes defended, eight sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He also recorded a safety and blocked a punt. That earned him a three-star ranking from 247 Sports and Scout (two-star ranking from ESPN and Rivals). He then went on to play college football for the Minnesota Gophers.
Nigerian Heritage
Otomewo was born in Indianapolis and grew up there, but his family is originally from Nigeria. That’s where his first name comes from. He joined the Vikings Table Talk show in 2023 for a special edition featuring some of the members of the team from Nigeria and South Africa to discuss their heritage and culture. There, Otomewo shared that Esezi means “King” while also talking about his family and their expectations for him.
“My mom, she always told me your name always has a purpose,” Otomewo said. “You should always respect that. Just take your cultural values with you when you talk about your name and your family. So, that’s what I always try to bring and introduce myself as, like my family’s behind me.
“As soon as I see a Nigerian or African person, culturally I already kind of know how they grew up. Just understanding where your mom or dad raised you in a certain sense, like probably a real strict household. Nothing probably getting by your parents, just like all parents. But at the same time, it’s kind of different when your mom and dad is Nigerian, and they’re constantly harping on you to be your best version of yourself, put your best foot forward.”
Some people might grow resentful at always being pushed by their parents. But at no point does Otomewo sound bitter toward his parents. It sounds like it’s become a bonding point with other players from the same area, but it also sounds like it helped push him toward achieving his dream of making it to the NFL.
Positional Versatility
When Otomewo came out of Ben Davis High School, he was used to playing defensive end. But when he set foot on Minnesota’s campus, he became much more than that. When Otomewo spoke with the Minnesota media after the draft, he was asked about playing multiple positions on the defensive line. He credited his time with the Gophers for developing him into a well-rounded defensive lineman.
“I did that lot in Minnesota,” Otomewo said. “I played from five tech all the way down to three and 2i. I say my coaches at Minnesota put me in a really good position on playing a lot of different positions at Minnesota. From going in from a bear front to an odd front to an even front, to a 4-3 look or 3-4 look, we did a lot of sub-packages where I would say I was lined up everywhere.”
That positional versatility could help the Steelers. And Otomewo was productive moving all around the defensive line for the Gophers, finishing his four-year career with 81 total tackles, 13.5 tackles for a loss, 7.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Not The Only Former Gopher In Pittsburgh
Minnesota might not be a pro football factory like some other teams in the Big Ten. However, Otomewo has a college teammate on the roster in Pittsburgh. LB Thomas Rush played at Minnesota for five years, leaving the Gophers a year after Otomewo.
Played Against Zach Frazier (And Even Beat Him For A Sack)
If you watched that highlight video of Otomewo’s time at Minnesota, you might have seen a glimpse of a familiar face. In 2021, Otomewo and the Gophers took on future Steelers C Zach Frazier and the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. Otomewo finished the game with two sacks. One of those sacks showed off his versatility as he matched up against Frazier. While it may not have been the prettiest sack you’ll ever see, Otomewo used a spin move that Frazier partially countered, but Otomewo was able to grab onto the legs of West Virginia QB Jarret Doege and haul him down.
3rd & Long. You know the drill. Joe Rossi:
• Shows six players on the LOS pre-snap
• Mugs the A-Gaps with his LBs
• Drops three players to the Intermediate Middle/Flats
• Lines up Edge Esezi Otomewo as a 3-Tech DTOtomewo beats 2024 2nd Rounder Zach Frazier for the sack pic.twitter.com/QMNuL41Uxh
— Al Karsten (@FootballGuy_Al) June 5, 2024
