Sewo Olonilua question for TCU fans here

Useless Cowboy Trivia: What happened on October 2nd, 2016?

Answer: It was the last time a Cowboy Fullback had a rushing attempt when Keith Jones got 2 yards against the 49ers.

Yes, we have hit the backup fullback portion of the offseason. I’m intrigued by UDFA Sewo Olonilua from TCU and wonder what TCU fans here think of the guy.

I’d like to hear what the TCU guys here think, Olonilua is a very interesting candidate to replace Olawale at FB. It seems clear the question is whether he can handle pass blocking from that position, on rushing and receiving he looks like an upgrade. On Special Teams he likely is an upgrade as well.

Last year Dallas resigned Olawale to a 3 year contract with a 1.8 Million signing bonus and 2.8 Million guaranteed. Kellen Moore didn’t call a run from Olawale and only called 2 pass plays to him. The previous year Olawale had no carries and 4 targets (2 catches for 13 years). Clearly Olawale was signed for blocking and Special Teams. If you look at McCarthy’s teams, he didn’t didn’t carry a FB in his last season in GB but in 2017 Aaron Ripkowski had 5 rushes for 13 yards. In 2016 he had 34 carries for 150 yards.

Sewo Olonilua is 6’3” 240 pounds with a 4.66 40. He has good power but not enough true run skills to be rated higher than a 7th round pick by Brugler. But if you look at him moving to FB, he can run with power, lead blocks well, lined up at the Slot at TCU and projects as an excellent Special Teams player.

From the writeups, this seems to be the comparison of Olonilua to Olawale:

Blocking: This is the key but an advantage to Olawale on experience in blitz pickups. Olawale blocks well while Olonilua’s profile from Brugler says “eager blocker” but later says “sloppy and unreliable in pass pro”. Love to hear what TCU fans think here.

Rushing: Advantage Olonilua. Likely a moot point because Dallas doesn’t run. Olawale only has 55 rushing attempts in 7 NFL seasons.

Receiving: Advantage to Olonilua based on his college tape.

Special Teams: Probably a push but Olonilua seems to have more upside. This is probably what makes the roster decision at the end of camp.

BTW, if you cut Olawale you save 500K on the cap this year and 1.4MM next year.


What do the TCU fans think of him taking over the Fullback position?

This is the profile from Dan Brugler on him. Also Olonilua was arrested at one point with the charges being dropped because he had 3 grams of Cannabis edibles. In Texas that is a felony, in California its dessert.

STRENGTHS: Looks more like a linebacker than a running back…nimble feet with the loose lower body to make sharp cuts and eludes defenders in space…galloping strides, picking up speed as he goes…first defender rarely brings him down, making it a chore on defenders to finish him to the ground…locates and follows his blocks to daylight, routinely finishing forward…shows the soft hands to be a weapon as a pass catcher (often lined up in the slot)…eager blocker…size/speed/toughness combination is a natural fit on special teams coverages with 11 tackles in college.


WEAKNESSES: Disappointing contact balance and should break more tackles at his size…struggled to keep his feet at contact…runs physical, but not powerful and wasn’t a consistent pile-pusher…struggles dropping his hips and redirecting, lacking the desired make-you-miss skills…put the ball on the ground too often with seven career fumbles, including four in 2019…sloppy and unreliable in pass pro…character requires vetting after he was arrested on felony drug charges (May 2019) – charges were eventually dropped and he was suspended for a half…part-time player over his career and his yards-per-carry production declined each season.


SUMMARY: A part-time starter at TCU, Olonilua shared the backfield duties in offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie’s up-tempo spread scheme. He struggled to find a steady identity over his career, doing most of his damage on third downs and occasionally taking direct snaps in short-yardage. Olonilua reads his blocks well and runs with purpose, but there isn’t much start-stop element to his game, displaying more of a runaway train mentality. With his defensive background and natural ability, his best chance of sticking in the NFL might be on special teams coverages. Overall, Olonilua flashes ability similar to Latavius Murray with his size and athletic skill, but his below-average contact balance and sporadic effectiveness make it an uphill climb to earn a roster spot.

H-m-m, here's hoping Olonilua manages to do well enough on the ST unit to earn a place on the active roster. It's been a while since we've utilized our fullback enough to make a noticeable difference on game day. He's a youngster that blocks well -- something that Olawale hasn't been overly adept at in he past. If this kid can block and play as well as he did with TCU, there's a chance for him to move on up into the active roster. He may even gain some weight and more strength, by way of NFL weight training! Let's just make sure to be on the lookout for him, ok?

Bullflop said:

H-m-m, here's hoping Olonilua manages to do well enough on the ST unit to earn a place on the active roster. It's been a while since we've utilized our fullback enough to make a noticeable difference on game day. He's a youngster that blocks well -- something that Olawale hasn't been overly adept at in he past. If this kid can block and play as well as he did with TCU, there's a chance for him to move on up into the active roster. He may even gain some weight and more strength, by way of NFL weight training! Let's just make sure to be on the lookout for him, ok?

Click to expand...

That's a great point, Olawale was a practice squad player who played TE at UNT before Dallas converted him to FB. At a minimum Olonilua could be a good PS developmental project.

I still want the TCU fans that watched him in college weigh in.

hes a solid prospect for sure, watched a handful of TCU games and hes better then BO Sca as a RB but nothing special you take that same player and move him to a new age FB and you have nothing but upside..

I think it was Keith Smith.

cowboyschmps3 said:

I think it was Keith Smith.

Click to expand...

You are right, I knew it was Keith Smith, the converted LB we played pretty well at that spot. No idea how I braincramped that into Keith Jones. At least I didn't write Keith Richards.

I'd like to buy a vowel please

blueblood70 said:

hes a solid prospect for sure, watched a handful of TCU games and hes better then BO Sca as a RB but nothing special you take that same player and move him to a new age FB and you have nothing but upside..

Click to expand...

Thanks. I was hopeful on Scarborough but thought he would get cut when I saw him in training camp. What did you think of his receiving skills at TCU?

I think he sounds promising, and for sure MM will know how to use a FB better than JG did.

Competition, competition, competition.

Zeke's best year (2016) and some of his best runs that year had Keith Smith lead blocking for him.

DandyDon52 said:

I think he sounds promising, and for sure MM will know how to use a FB better than JG did.

Click to expand...

McCarthy gave Ripkowski 34 carries in 2016 as his Fullback like I mentioned in the OP. Here is a 30 second video of some of those runs and some excellent lead blocks:

Kaiser said:

McCarthy gave Ripkowski 34 carries in 2016 as his Fullback like I mentioned in the OP. Here is a 30 second video of some of those runs and some excellent lead blocks:

Click to expand...

thats what 33 more than Olalwale got last year LOL

Kaiser said:

McCarthy gave Ripkowski 34 carries in 2016 as his Fullback like I mentioned in the OP. Here is a 30 second video of some of those runs and some excellent lead blocks:

Click to expand...

I will take a look at that, I have to change browser though. There are times where a FB can be utilized in running or rec, they did it with moose back in the jimmy era.

blueblood70 said:

thats what 33 more than Olalwale got last year LOL

Click to expand...

under JG, having a FB was pretty much a wasted roster spot.

Does Moore even like the FB position??


Wasted roster spot in my eyes if were carrying one

dwreck27 said:

Does Moore even like the FB position??


Wasted roster spot in my eyes if were carrying one

Click to expand...

it ok to have rookie but paying Olalwale a 1mil deal last season was stupid for sure..just keep cheap players under 4 years of service and get new rookies ..cheap and easy..

blueblood70 said:

it ok to have rookie but paying Olalwale a 1mil deal last season was stupid for sure..just keep cheap players under 4 years of service and get new rookies ..cheap and easy..

Click to expand...

Yes I can deal with this... maybe that was a better gripe I had was paying such a hefty salary for a one trick pony who didn’t provide much of anything on STs

i think he beats out olawale.