Mike Vrabel singles out one of the Titans most improved players
OTAs and minicamp practices are all about growth and development for NFL teams. Getting players in team meeting rooms, weight rooms, and having them around the building can be instrumental to the improvement of a player. The pads have yet to come on, but every coaching staff is looking for which players have taken their […]
OTAs and minicamp practices are all about growth and development for NFL teams.
Getting players in team meeting rooms, weight rooms, and having them around the building can be instrumental to the improvement of a player. The pads have yet to come on, but every coaching staff is looking for which players have taken their game to the next level in the five months since clean out day of the previous season.
Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel singled out tight end Thomas Odukoya to the media on Wednesday, calling him "one of the most improved" players on Tennessee's roster.
"We talked about it yesterday as a staff," Vrabel said when asked about Odukoya's improvement. "He had a really nice play Monday in the red zone using his length. He has physically gotten stronger, he is moving better, he understands the game better."
"He's just a fantastic addition to our team. He's an unbelievable teammate. We love having him around and having him in the building so it has been really cool to see him improve and see where he can try to find a role on our football team. Certainly one of the more improved players on our football team," Vrabel said about the 26-year-old tight end.
Odukoya was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022 as part of the NFL's International Player Pathway program (IPP). Raised in the Netherlands, Odukoya did not start playing football until age 16, but was named the Dutch National MVP in high school before playing his college football at Garden City Community College (JuCo), West HIlls College-Coalinga (JuCo), and Eastern Michigan University (NCAA Division-I).
In 40 career games and 30 starts at Eastern Michigan, Odukoya recorded 21 career catches for 194 yards and four touchdowns.
Because he was a player from the IPP, the Titans were given a 91st roster spot throughout training camp last season to carry Odukoya. When it came time to cut the roster to 53, Tennessee placed Odukoya on their practice squad and utilized the roster exemption available to them through the IPP, which prevented any team from adding Odukoya to their active roster during the 2022 season
Given Odukoya's growth heading into his second NFL season, that decision now appears to be paying off. It's rare to hear Vrabel speak so candidly and highly of a player this time of year.
