Patrick Omameh, #65

Patrick Omameh

HIGH SCHOOL
Omameh attended Columbus (OH) St. Francis DeSales and picked Michigan over offers from a few MAC schools, Cincinnati, and Michigan State.  He was a 2-star strongside defensive end to Rivals and a 3-star, #87 offensive tackle to Scout.  As a member of the 2008 class, he was not offered by Lloyd Carr but received a late tender from Rich Rodriguez, visiting in late January and then committing on National Signing Day.

COLLEGE
Omameh redshirted as a freshman in 2008.  In 2009 he was a backup right guard and right tackle for most of the season before starting the final three games at right guard.  He continued as the starting right guard for the 2010-2012 seasons, starting the last 42 games of his career.  He was named Academic All-Big Ten in both 2010 and 2011, and his play warranted an All-Big Ten First Team selection by the coaches (Second Team by the media) in 2012.

CAREER STATISTICS
46 games played, 42 starts

AWARDS
Academic All-Big Ten in 2010 and 2011; All-Big Ten and Allstate AFCA Good Works team in 2012

SUMMARY
Omameh was a guy who always seemed like a poor fit to me as a guard.  He could run fairly well, but he has somewhat long, spindly legs that make him a little too top-heavy and unwieldy playing the interior positions.  It mattered less in Rich Rodriguez's offense, which was mostly a zone blocking system that requires each of the five linemen to combo block with the guy(s) next to him.  By the time Brady Hoke arrived prior to the 2011 season, it seemed the tackle positions were already determined, so there was nowhere for Omameh to go.  But through two coaching staffs, it always seemed to me that Omameh would have been better off playing offensive tackle.  He played pretty well in pass protection and did a decent job of base blocking, but his pulling left something to be desired at times in Hoke's offense.

I WILL REMEMBER HIM FOR . . . 
. . . doing this against Notre Dame in 2010.

PROJECTION
Omameh was not invited to the NFL Combine, so if he wants to play at the next level, he'll have to make an impression at Michigan's pro day.  He probably doesn't have the size and length to play tackle at the next level, and I don't think he's a powerful enough blocker to play guard in the NFL.  I think his best fit would be with a zone blocking team, such as the Houston Texans or Washington Redskins.  If he finds the right system, I think Omameh has the best possible future out of the three senior linemen in this class.