From now until the 2026 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Oklahoma iOL Febechi Nwaiwu.
No. 54 Febechi Nwaiwu/iOL Oklahoma 6036/324 (Senior)
Measurements
Player Ht/Wt Hand Size Arm Length Wingspan
Febechi Nwaiwu 6036/324 928 3368 8268
40-Yard Dash 10-Yard Dash Short Shuttle 3-Cone
N/A N/A N/A N/A
Broad Jump Vertical Bench Press
N/A N/A N/A
The Good
– Strong run blocker
– Uses his hands well right at the snap to knock blockers off balance
– Good grip at the point of attack allows him to anchor effectively
– Experience playing multiple positions across offensive line
– Always looking for someone to block
– Strong character and leadership
The Bad
– Inconsistent in space
– Needs to counter better against pass-rush moves
– Pad level is inconsistent
– Doesn’t possess ideal lateral quickness
– Work in progress at center
Stats
– 3,321 career snaps (144 at center, 2,972 at right guard, 70 at left guard, 135 at right tackle)
– 52 career games
– Four-year starter
– 2025: 845 snaps, 91.6 pass block grade per PFF
Injury History
– Missed two games in 2023 due to an ankle injury.
Bio
– Unranked recruit out of Coppell, Texas who walked on at North Texas
– Played football as well as shot put and discus in high school
– Second Team Freshman All-American by The Athletic, C-USA All-Freshman Team, Third Team All-CUSA by PFF in 2022
– Transferred to Oklahoma ahead of 2024 season
– All-SEC Second-Team in 2025
– Awarded Oklahoma’s Don Key Award, the program’s highest annual honor, recognizing excellence on the field and in the classroom
– 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl participant
– Pat Tillman Award winner at East-West Shrine Bowl as player who best exemplifies “intelligence, sportsmanship and service”
– Graduated with degree in multidisciplinary studies
– Finalist for Burlsworth Trophy as most outstanding FBS player who began career as walk-on
– Believes proper sleep is one of the best traits for an offensive lineman
– Worked at Whataburger senior year of high school
– Nigerian descent
Tape Breakdown
Nwaiwu is an incredibly experienced prospect who has worked across the offensive line, with most of his experience coming at right guard. Nwaiwu did play center late in Oklahoma’s 2025 season and then primarily worked at the position at the East-West Shrine Bowl. Nwaiwu as a center is a more difficult evaluation than him as a guard, just due to the lack of tape and experience. However, there’s certainly potential for him to develop into a strong center prospect.
We’ll start with looking at Nwaiwu as a guard. One thing I love about his game is he’s always looking for someone to block. If he’s not covered, he has the wherewithal to pivot and find someone to hit.
Nwaiwu also has strong hands and the ability to move defenders. Here, he’s able to clear the defender out to open up a nice hole in the run game.
He’s also strong on combo and duo blocks. This starts as a combo block but Nwaiwu finishes the play himself.
While Nwaiwu has good strength and can latch onto blockers, an area where he needs some work is his speed and athleticism out in space. He’s not a very good athlete in space and can be slow to get to his spot or miss his block. If he stays at guard at the next level, it’s an area he’s going to have to work on.
As a pass protector, Nwaiwu occasionally gets overextended and could do a better job against a long arm, but he also has the ability to completely shut pass rushers down if he’s getting his hands on them immediately. He has really good grip strength and is hard to move.
As a center, Nwaiwu isn’t as polished of a prospect. In his first start at center against LSU, he had a few lapses where he struggled to pick up blitzes and stunts, something he does a good job with at guard. In the play below, Nwaiwu seems to have a concentration lapse looking for other rushers and isn’t focused on his block leading to an easy pass rush win.
He’s slower off the snap to make contact, allowing the defender to make the initial contact and blow up the play.
However, Nwaiwu did primarily play center at the East-West Shrine Bowl and looked much more polished. He had a strong week of practice and played well in the game.
Here, he picks up a pass-rusher and holds his block to allow room for a big scramble.
Another example of him opening up a big hole in the run game.
Conclusion
Nwaiwu’s NFL future is likely at center, given that’s where he worked at the Shrine Bowl and where he finished his college career. However, a team could certainly draft him to play him at guard, and he’s much more NFL-ready as a guard than as a center. However, despite him not being as polished, there’s certainly upside and his development from the end of the college season to the Shrine Bowl at center was impressive.
I think there’s enough upside with Nwaiwu as a run blocker, and there are flashes of what he can do as a pass-blocker with his grip strength and mass that make me think there’s starter-upside down the stretch. My NFL comparison is Anthony Bradford.
NFL Draft Projection: Mid-Day 3 (Round 5)
Steelers Depot Draft Grade: 7.4
Grade Range: 6.6-8.0
Games Watched: @ Tennessee (2025), vs. LSU (2025), vs. Temple (2025), 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl
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