Getty Julian Okwara tries to make a play on Jalen Hurts in 2021.
The Detroit Lions defense has needed a boost this season in a big way, and one of the young players who has been providing it consistently has been Julian Okwara.
Even with his brother sidelined for the season, Okwara has stepped up and shown his growth in multiple different ways this year to the Lions, who have been very happy to see what Okwara can do after a struggle in his rookie season on the field. Now, one of his veteran players is singing Okwara’s praises.
The latest Lions news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Lions newsletter here!
Linebacker Trey Flowers has has a front-row seat for all of Okwara’s big moments thus far this season, and has come away impressed himself by what the second-year player has done. As he said when talking to the media on Monday, November 8 in an interview posted to DetroitLions.com, Flowers has been impressed with what Okwara has been able to do thus far this season in terms of run defense.
“Obviously seeing him grow, he works after practice with it, you kind of see him over on the sled. A lot of it is a ‘want to’ as far a stopping the run, but obviously your technique’s got to be right,” Flowers said. “He’s worked hard on his technique, he’s worked hard on his fundamentals when it comes to that aspect. He’s been making some great leaps in that area of his game.”
Okwara’s development has been a big deal for the Lions, especially considering some of the injuries the team has seen up front on defense. Getting the youngster going in terms of his complete game has been big as well, and Flowers shared perhaps the best tip that has aided in Okwara’s turnaround.
Flowers: Okwara Has Been Focusing on Blocker First
Just because Okwara has been solid so far does not mean that Flowers hasn’t been pointing him in a good direction. In fact, his improved play could be a result of a tip that Flowers shared with him as a veteran linebacker who has seen a lot of action on the field during plenty of games.
As Flowers said, a simple tweak for Okwara was focusing on the blocker first in order to be more sound with technique when pursuing the runner.
“One thing that I did kind of tell him was focus on defending the blocker before looking for the ball carrier. You got a guy with his athleticism, and just a lot of guys in general, you want to make the play, you’re eager to make the play, you want to get to the ball as fast as possible but you got to defend a blocker in front of you before you make the play,” Flowers explained. “That’s just one thing a lot of guys can kind of take and me as well. I had to understand that. You just kind of get antsy ready to make this play, you know the ball’s coming to you, but you still got a blocker to defeat, so make sure you have control of the blocker and defeat him prior to coming off and making the play.”
So far, that tip has looked to work well for Okwara, and he has been just as stout against the run as he is against the pass. With 2 sacks so far this year, Okwara has been good as a rusher, but his run defense has stood out as a major positive. Perhaps this is the reason why.
Okwara’s Stats & Highlights
Coming into the 2021 season, it was clear that Okwara was going to be primed for a big effort on the field. He had missed most of his rookie 2020 season with injury, so it was clear coming in that Okwara was in position to do some damage for the Lions if he could stay healthy. Injuries up front to other players ended up helping Okwara see more of the field, as did the effort he put in as it relates to honing his craft. So far this season, Okwara has put up 7 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 pass defended on the season. In his NFL career, he has 13 tackles, 2 sacks and 4 quarterback hits, with the bulk of that work playing out in 2021.
Collegiately, Okwara always showed these kind of attributes. At Notre Dame, he put up 79 total tackles and 15.5 sacks in his career to go with 2 interceptions and 4 forced fumbles. Here was some of his work in college:
It’s good to see Okwara coming into his own in 2021 and making a major difference on the field, and he might only have his veteran teammate to thank for helping him to get it done in a big way.