PHILADELPHIA – Moro Ojomo’s approach to life is simple. It’s always a full count, three balls and two strikes.
“That’s how I look at it because I have to swing my bat and I’m gonna swing it hard,” he said.
Ojomo has been swinging hard his whole life, from the time the Eagles’ defensive tackle started kindergarten at the age of 3 in his native country to when he showed up on the campus of the University of Texas as a 16-year-old, ready to play some big-time football.
He still taking his cuts, going from a seventh-round draft selection last year, the 249th overall pick, to an important piece to Vic Fangio’s defensive line, whose task on Monday night will be to pressure Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Ojomo emigrated to the U.S. when he was 7 with his dad, Ololade, and mom, Bimbo, who had taken an IT job in Santa Clara, Calif. His dad is a pastor who opened a church when they arrived in California.
“My dad gives me great perspective,” said Ojomo, about his advanced maturity. “He always says you’ll always have a better tomorrow. And that’s how I live my life. I’m always trying to build on days. Like, literally.
“Every single day I’m trying to become a better pass rusher, I’m trying to become a better football player … the growth mindset is I’m trying to climb every single day.”
After playing just six percent of the defensive snaps as a rookie, he has climbed into a fourth defensive tackle role on a team with headliners in first-round picks Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis and third-round pick Milton Williams. He had 14 snaps in the opener against the Packers and made a terrific move to get past a blocker and into Jordan Love’s face to force a high throw on third down late in the game.
“When we were reviewing the tape of the game, Moro had 14 plays or something like that,” said head coach Nick Sirianni. “I just said, ‘Hey, Moro, this is exactly what we're talking about. You're the fourth guy in, so you have to make sure that you take advantage of the reps you're getting,’ and look at this play that he makes on a third down where Jordan Love has to throw it high because Moro is in his face making that play.”
It went down as a quarterback hit, Ojomo’s lone number on the stat sheet.
“There’s nothing like it,” said Ojomo about impacting a game by pressuring a quarterback. “It’s the most exciting feeling in football for a defensive lineman and the most rewarding. To get something like that in the first game is encouraging and I want to build on that and get a sack in this game.”
Fangio said during Ojomo’s breakout training camp that he is undersized for a defensive tackle but possesses great quickness. He weighs just 292 pounds. Oh, and he just turned 23 in August.
“Whatever opportunities I get, have no fear,” he said. “Things can always change on a dime, so you have to be ready. …Getting the opportunity to rush here on third down is a huge deal and getting those opportunities has meant a lot to me, and I want to do right by them and go out there and play extremely hard.”
