Ojabo 'ready' for crunch NFL season with Baltimore

David Ojabo believes he has put "devastating injuries" behind him

"Man, it is everything." Nigerian/Scottish linebacker David Ojabo is well aware of the importance of the forthcoming NFL season as he enters the final year of his contract with the Baltimore Ravens.

The 25-year-old, who was born in Port Harcourt but grew up in Aberdeenshire, was selected by the Ravens in the second round of the NFL Draft in 2022.

But Ojabo has been left playing catch-up after "devastating injuries" - to his Achilles then his knee - restricted him to just five appearances in his first two campaigns.

The 6ft 5in powerhouse featured in 13 games last term and is under no illusions about how big a year this is as he looks to really make his mark at the M&T Bank Stadium.

"First two years were definitely not what I expected or wanted, or anybody wanted," Ojabo told BBC Scotland.

"But I had a full season last year and I'm very grateful, [for] my first off-season healthy. [I'm] ready to put that in the past and keep pushing forward.

"It all stems from the work I have put in, all the adversity I have been through, all leading up to right now, looking forward, and I've just got to go and put it out there.

"[After] I got some devastating injuries, I had my first full off-season healthy and took advantage of it. Now I am ready to go and try to win it all. That is the goal for the team."

Ojabo only took up American football eight years ago and was soon starring for the University of Michigan.

He was expected to be a first-round draft pick in 2022 but a torn Achilles during the draft process meant he slipped to the second round, where Baltimore selected him with the 45th overall pick.

Baltimore were very much investing in Ojabo's huge potential and he now hopes to produce a much-anticipated breakout season.

The Ravens' squad is bristling with quality, led by two-time Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson, and hopes to reach the Super Bowl having fallen just short in the past two seasons.

"Don't worry about me, man, I will go out there and put my best foot forward and see what happens," said Ojabo.

"Anybody that comes to the NFL, you should feel blessed. The percentages say that you are not going to make it in, so if you are in, whether drafted or undrafted, it is a blessing, so that is how I feel - just blessed to be here.

"At the end of the day, if you look back as a child, the goal is to go professional. I am a professional, so don't lose sight of the dream. I am living my dream right now."

It is perhaps unsurprising there has been plenty of discussion among fans and observers about Ojabo's long-term future.

"I am not on the media like that, so they don't decide what happens in the building - the people upstairs do," he added. "I don't pay much attention to that - I just listen to the coaches."