Professor

http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news_...ts/5369.0.html

Oshinowo could be lost gem
By Jeff Walcoff, Staff Writer
May 2, 2006

Several years from now, the Browns may have gotten their steal of the '06 draft in Stanford defensive tackle Babatunde Oshinowo (pronounced bah-bah-TOON-day oh-shi-NO-woh), taken in the sixth round (181st overall).

Oshinowo has been scouted as an ideal lineman for a 3-4 defensive front and had an outstanding week at the 2006 Senior Bowl. He was projected by many draft experts as a sure Day 1 pick, until what Oshinowo called a combine that "wasn't the best representation of what I could do on the field."

After the tough combine performance in February, Oshinowo's stock fell and the Browns were able to snatch him late in the draft.

"This is an established player who fits the defense as a nose guard," Browns general manager Phil Savage said. "We were pleasantly surprised that he was there and we feel good about his chances on helping us with the conversion of the 3-4 defense."

Although he said he was disappointed about where he was picked, Oshinowo said he was happy when he heard the Browns had selected him.

"It was a little disappointing (to be picked so late)...but all this is a greater opportunity because I'm really excited now about showing people what I can do," he said. "I'm very excited about getting that opportunity to prove people wrong.

"I'm excited about so many things about being on the Browns, to play with Ted Washington, playing for coach Crennel."

Oshinowo played nose tackle in a 3-4 defense for the past two years at Stanford. Savage said Oshinowo is likely to stay at nose tackle and hopefully be groomed as the eventual replacement for Washington, who turned 38 in April.

At 6-feet-2, 304 pounds, Oshinowo isn't huge for an NFL nose tackle, but was productive for three seasons as a starter on the Cardinal defense. During those three years, he managed 24 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. Overall, he started 34 career games in his college career.

Oshinowo is a native of Naperville, Ill., but was born at Mount Carmel Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. His father, Babatunde Oshinowo, Sr., was pursuing a degree at Ohio State at the time.

Both of Oshinowo parents were born in Nigeria. His full name is Babatunde Oluwasegun Temitope Oluwakorede Adisa Oshinowo, Jr.

That may look like gibberish to someone unfamiliar with Nigerian culture, but Oshinowo assures it's anything but that.

"It's a Nigerian name," he said. "One of the customs is that, while my parents had a name for me, all the elders in the household - my grandmother, my aunt - they would all have a name. So all those names get tacked on."

Each name has its own meaning. But, when asked, even he couldn't remember them all.

"My first name means ‘The father returns,' because my grandfather actually died a couple weeks before I was born," he said. "Oluwasegun means ‘God gives me victory.' I can't remember the others off the top of my head. But the names all mean something."

Oshinowo was recruited by Ohio State, but said he chose Stanford for its engineering program. Oshinowo is pursuing his bachelor's and master's in electrical engineering. Even on the defensive line, he said intelligence makes a difference.

"Intelligence is something you use on the field, but not nearly as much as in an engineering exam," he said. "But (for) reading things, reading pre-snap keys, knowing what people are going to do on defense and studying film, intelligence is a factor."