Two Sacramento-rooted players go in second round of NFL draft. Who are they?
In football, it always starts in the trenches in a sport forever rooted in blocking and tackling.
On Friday night in Green Bay, two defensive linemen with Sacramento-area roots had their named called in the second round of the NFL draft.
UCLA edge rusher Femi Oladejo out of UCLA by way of Cosumnes Oaks High School in Elk Grove was selected with the 20th pick in the round and 52nd overall, going to the Tennessee Titans, where his job will be to chase down opposing quarterbacks.
With the 31st pick in the second round and the No. 63rd pick overall, the Kansas City Chiefs selected Omarr Norman-Lott, a run-stopping, powerhouse defensive tackle out of the University of Tennessee by way of the Grant Pacers of Del Paso Heights. He is a North Highlands native.
While the 6-foot-2, 300-pound Norman-Lott was a well-known prospect in high school with the storied Pacers, that wasn’t the case for Oladejo, whose profile and team flew under the radar. The 6-3, 260-pound Oladejo didn’t even have a senior season at Cosumnes Oaks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he landed a scholarship to Cal based on his athleticism, upside and zest to learn and get better.
He transferred to UCLA, where he was converted from linebacker to a rush end. Oladejo did not become a full-time college starter until his senior season, starting 12 games for the Bruins and leading the team with 13.5 tackles. Oladejo impressed in pro day workouts, including a 36.5-inch vertical leap. He could still end up as an outside linebacker with the Titans, but this much is known: Oladejo is now in the NFL, an example that late bloomers can become high-round picks.
Norman-Lott was a four-star recruit as a prep, the No. 27 defensive lineman recruit in high school, according to recruiting site 24/7. He made 110 tackles, had 17 sacks and recorded 32 tackles for loss at Grant, which has sent more players to the NFL than any other Sacramento-area program.
Norman-Lott earned a scholarship at Arizona State before his transfer to Tennessee on the eve of the 2023 spring semester. At Tennessee, Norman-Lott showed pass-rushing skills at defensive tackle, thanks in part to his explosive burst out of his stance. He had 5.5 sacks in 2023 and four in 2024.
The draft remains underway, with the third round concluding Friday’s action and rounds 4-7 set for 9 a.m. Pacific on Saturday. A few more players with high school or college ties to the Sacramento region remain available and projected to go in the later rounds.
