Foyesade Oluokun

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Foyesade Oluokun
refer to caption
Foyesade Oluokun in 2021
No. 54 – Atlanta Falcons
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1995-08-02) August 2, 1995 (age 26)
St. Louis, Missouri
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:John Burroughs School
(Ladue, Missouri)
College:Yale
NFL Draft:2018 / Round: 6 / Pick: 200
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
  • NFL tackles leader (2021)
Career NFL statistics as of 2021
Total tackles:462
Sacks:5.0
Forced fumbles:7
Fumble recoveries:1
Interceptions:5
Pass deflections:11
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Foyesade Oluokun (born August 2, 1995) is an American football linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Yale University, and was drafted by the Falcons in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Early life[]

Oluokun attended Forsyth School, an elementary school in Clayton, Missouri, where he played basketball, soccer and other outdoor activities. He began playing football at John Burroughs School,[1] where he was a standout on special teams with future Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.[2]

College career[]

Oluokun played college football for Yale. He tore a pectoral muscle as a junior and was granted an extra semester.[3] As a senior, he was a second-team all-Ivy League selection. He declared for the 2018 NFL Draft after the 2017 season.

Professional career[]

Oluokun did not receive an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine. On March 8, 2018, Oluokun participated at a Pro Day held at Yale and completed all of the combine drills. Oluokun’s time of 4.48 in the 40-yard dash would’ve finished sixth among linebackers at the combine and his time of 4.12 in the short shuttle would’ve been the second-best among linebackers. Oluokun attended pre-draft visits with multiple teams, including the Kansas City Chiefs, Arizona Cardinals, and Indianapolis Colts.[4] At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Oluokun was projected to be a seventh round pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the 20th best linebacker in the draft by DraftScout.com.[5]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1+7⁄8 in
(1.88 m) 		229 lb
(104 kg) 		32+1⁄2 in
(0.83 m) 		8+3⁄4 in
(0.22 m)		 4.48 s 1.60 s 2.69 s 4.12 s 6.94 s 37 in
(0.94 m)		 10 ft 3 in
(3.12 m)		 18 reps
All values from Fordham’s Pro Day[5]

The Atlanta Falcons selected Oluokun in the sixth round with the 200th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.[6] Oluokun was the 27th linebacker drafted in 2018.[7] Oluokun was the 48th Yale player picked in a pro football draft and the first in the NFL Draft since Shane Bannon in 2011.[8]

External video
video icon Falcons draft Foyesade Oluokun 200th overall

2018 season[]

On May 9, 2018, the Falcons signed Oluokun to a four-year, $2.60 million contract with a signing bonus of $146,629.[9]

Oluokun entered training camp slated to be a backup linebacker and special teams player.[10] He impressed coaches with his athleticism and tackling ability during camp and began competing against Duke Riley to be the starting weakside linebacker.[11] Head coach Dan Quinn named Oluokun a backup middle linebacker, behind Deion Jones, to begin the regular season.[12]

He made his professional regular season debut in the Atlanta Falcons' season-opener at the Philadelphia Eagles and made one tackle during their 18–12 loss. On October 7, 2018, Oluokun earned his first career start and recorded five combined tackles as the Falcons lost 41–17 at the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 5. In Week 6, he collected a season-high ten combined tackles (seven solo) during a 34–29 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He finished his rookie season in 2018 with 91 combined tackles (56 solo), one pass deflection, and one forced fumble in 16 games and seven starts.[13] He received an overall grade of 64.6 from Pro Football Focus, 46th among qualifying linebackers in 2018.[14]

Oluokun in 2019

2019 season[]

Oluokun was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Falcons on August 2, 2020,[15] and was activated three days later.[16]

2020 season[]

In Week 2 of the 2020 season against the Dallas Cowboys, Oluokun forced two fumbles on consecutive drives in the first quarter; both were recovered by the Falcons, who lost 40–39.[17]

In Week 6 against the Minnesota Vikings, Oluokun recorded his first career interception off a pass thrown by Kirk Cousins during the 40–23 win.[18] In Week 9 against the Denver Broncos, Oluokun recorded 10 tackles, one pass deflection, and recorded his first career sack on Drew Lock during the 34–27 win. Oluokun was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week.[19]

In Week 12 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Oluokun strip-sacked Derek Carr; the ball was recovered by teammate Jacob Tuioti-Mariner during the 43–6 win.[20] In Week 16 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Oluokun intercepted a pass thrown by Patrick Mahomes and made a 51-yard return during the 17–14 loss.[21]

2021 season[]

Before the season began, new head coach Arthur Smith moved Oluokun to the starting MIKE linebacker position.[22]

In Week 3 against the New York Giants, Oluokun recorded 14 tackles in the 17–14 win.[23] In Week 6 against the Miami Dolphins, Oluokun recorded 13 tackles and an interception in the 30–28 win.[24] In Week 7 against the Carolina Panthers, Oluokun had a career-high 16 tackles in the 13–19 loss.[25]

In Week 16, Oluokun had 14 tackles and intercepted Tim Boyle with less than 40 seconds left, sealing a 20–16 win over the Detroit Lions. His performance earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week.[26] In Week 17, Oluokun Had 13 total tackles, 2 pass deflections, and intercepted Josh Allen in the 15–29 loss to the Buffalo Bills.[27] He finished the season with the 7th most single season tackles ever in the NFL and held the 2021 season record for most assisted and total tackles.[28][29]

NFL statistics[]

Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season[]

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Comb Solo Ast TFL Sck PD Int Yds Lng TD FF FR Yds TD
2018 ATL 16 7 91 56 35 2 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
2019 ATL 16 3 62 36 26 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
2020 ATL 15 14 117 78 39 4 3.0 4 2 65 51 0 4 1 0 0
2021 ATL 17 17 192 102 90 4 2.0 6 3 80 56 0 1 0 0 0
Career 64 41 462 272 190 12 5.0 11 5 145 56 0 7 1 0 0

Personal life[]

The son of immigrants, he is of Nigerian descent.[30]

References[]

  1. ^ "Foyesade Oluokun, John Burroughs School , Safety". 247Sports. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  2. ^ McClure, Vaughn (September 18, 2020). "How Ezekiel Elliott, Foyesade Oluokun once paired to make 'video game' plays with 'cheat code'". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  3. ^ McClure, Vaughn (May 18, 2018). "Falcons' Foyesade Oluokun out to validate Ivy Leaguers in NFL". ESPN. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  4. ^ Jacobs, Jeff (April 21, 2018). "Oluokun could follow Yale's dream season to NFL draft". ctpost.com. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Foyesade Oluokun, Yale, OLB, 2018 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". DraftScout.com. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  6. ^ "2018 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  7. ^ "Falcons Select Foyesade Oluokun". AtlantaFalcons.com. April 28, 2018. Archived from the original on May 1, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  8. ^ "Yale Drafted Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  9. ^ "Spotrac.com: Foyesade Oluokun contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  10. ^ McClure, Vaughn (August 22, 2018). "Calvin Ridley as good as advertised so far for Falcons". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  11. ^ VanDyke, Gary (August 24, 2018). "Foyesade Oluokun emerging as starting option". fantasypros.com. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  12. ^ Parks, James (September 14, 2018). "Falcons reveal depth chart vs. Panthers". 247sports.com. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  13. ^ "Foyesade Oluokun 2018 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  14. ^ "Pro Football Focus: Foyesade Oluokun". profootballfocus.com. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  15. ^ McFadden, Will (August 2, 2020). "Falcons place Foye Oluokun on reserve/COVID-19 list, release Ryan Allen, waive four others". AtlantaFalcons.com. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  16. ^ McFadden, Will (August 5, 2020). "Falcons activate three players from reserve/COVID-19 list". AtlantaFalcons.com. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  17. ^ "Cowboys' rally stuns Falcons 40-39 in McCarthy's home debut". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  18. ^ "Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings – October 18th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  19. ^ Gordon, Grant (November 11, 2020). "Vikings RB Dalvin Cook, Bills QB Josh Allen lead Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  20. ^ "Las Vegas Raiders at Atlanta Falcons – November 29th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  21. ^ "Atlanta Falcons at Kansas City Chiefs - December 27th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  22. ^ Glaze, Everett (August 11, 2021). "Why moving Foye Oluokun to the MIKE is good for the defense". The Falcoholic. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  23. ^ "Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants - September 26th, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  24. ^ "Atlanta Falcons at Miami Dolphins - October 24th, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  25. ^ "Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons - October 31st, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  26. ^ Baca, Michael (December 29, 2021). "Bengals QB Joe Burrow, Cowboys QB Dak Prescott lead NFL Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  27. ^ "Falcons' Foyesade Oluokun: Another monster performance". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  28. ^ Birchfield, Evan (January 10, 2022). "Foye Oluokun finishes 2021 season with 7th most single-season tackles in NFL history". The Falcoholic. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  29. ^ "NFL.com | Official Site of the National Football League". NFL.com. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  30. ^ Baugh, Peter (June 13, 2013). "Burroughs standout bound for Yale". The St. Louis American. Retrieved September 6, 2018.

External links[]

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