Boozeman: Underdog Donovan Olumba is making his mark in Cowboys secondary

Cotton

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Underdog Donovan Olumba is making his mark in Cowboys secondary
By: C.C. Boorman | 21 minutes ago

The Dallas Cowboys’ 2018 draft class is drawing rave reviews from Oxnard. While accolades have rained down on draft choices Leighton Vander Esch, Connor Williams, Michael Gallup and Dorance Armstrong, there are also an undrafted rookie free agents turning some heads as well.

Donovan Olumba, a 6-foot-2, 192 pounder from Portland State is gaining some notoriety despite competing at an exceptionally deep cornerback position. But fighting against tall odds is nothing new.

Olumba was lightly recruited after playing just one season of varsity high school football at wide receiver and cornerback. He had just two walk-on offers from Division-II and NAIA schools. He eventually landed a scholarship at Div-II Alderson Broaddus (located in West Virginia) where he played three seasons at corner.

In 2016, he departed for Division-I Portland State where he redshirted for the year. He finally got his break last season, vaulting from third-string to starter in his final collegiate campaign. He posted 21 tackles with 7 passes defended, garnering an Honorable Mention on the All-Big Sky Conference team.

After being passed over for collegiate all-star games and the NFL scouting combine, Olumba had to prove himself all over again at his Pro Day. At his workout, he checked the NFL boxes with his height/length/speed ratio, fitting snugly into the “Seahawk” CB profile. He posted solid measurements but his pedestrian 4.62 40-yard time put him into the undrafted talent pool.

Upon Olumba’s arrival in Oxnard, he was given Orlando Scandrick’s old number 32 and since then he has taken big steps to live up to the number.

Thus far in training camp, his passion for the game has seemed to ooze out of him on a daily basis and he does not lack confidence.



Long-levered and physical, Olumba has displayed the hands to disrupt routes from press coverage. He has also been adept at matching the toughness of receivers, altering the rhythm of routes and seems to relish becoming a thorn in the side of his camp opposition.





Ultimately, Olumba will need to show out in the exhibition season if he is going to crack the Cowboys’ practice squad, let alone the final roster. With talent like Chido Awuzie, Byron Jones, Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown above him on the roster, the deck is definitely stacked against him. But then again, fighting for and earning a job the hard way is old hat for this underdog.
 

p1_

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Charvarius Ward is making noise as well (note the Richard coveted size):

Charvarius Ward
Born: May 16, 1996 (age 22 years)
Height: 6′ 1″
Weight: 201 lbs
 

Smitty

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Contradicting the second sentence, I feel like I've actually heard very little about Leighton Vander Esche.
 

vince

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Contradicting the second sentence, I feel like I've actually heard very little about Leighton Vander Esche.
Same here. All I've heard is that he's getting better, becoming more fluid. Garrett speak.
 

boozeman

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Contradicting the second sentence, I feel like I've actually heard very little about Leighton Vander Esche.
Depends on who you pay attention to. He has got a good bit of pub on Twitter. Not to the level of Armstrong, but he has showed out a little
 

NoDak

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Contradicting the second sentence, I feel like I've actually heard very little about Leighton Vander Esche.
Agreed. Usually we are slammed with articles about the Cowboys first round pick. Especially when camp starts. Feels like I haven't hardly seen a thing about him.
 

Cotton

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Agreed. Usually we are slammed with articles about the Cowboys first round pick. Especially when camp starts. Feels like I haven't hardly seen a thing about him.
Because Jaylon has been taking most of the first team reps.
 

NoDak

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Because Jaylon has been taking most of the first team reps.
I get that. But even so, there were always stories about the first round pick. Either about how well he was doing, or how poorly. Or about what his dog was named when he was in 3rd grade.
 

Cotton

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I get that. But even so, there were always stories about the first round pick. Either about how well he was doing, or how poorly. Or about what his dog was named when he was in 3rd grade.
That's actually a very fair point.
 

P_T

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Olumba must improve from last nite's performance.
 

UncleMilti

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Yeah it was not good from what I saw. That's not even going to get you a practice squad spot in the NFL.
To be fair I’m sure the kid was absolutely star struck being on a national stage in the NFL coming from big ole Alderson Broadus. 😂
 
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