New York Giants

Giants rookie Owa Odighizuwa plays major snaps in NFL debut

Published Oct. 6, 2015 5:56 p.m. ET

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The New York Giants have no plans to wait in their effort to generate a spark along the defensive line. In his NFL debut in Week 4, rookie third-round defensive linemen Owa Odighizuwa played 47 snaps along the defensive line.

Only three other defensive linemen and eight defensive players played more snaps than Odighizuwa. He was not the official starter at right defensive end, but he dominated the snaps over incumbent George Selvie.

According to Pro Football Focus, Odighizuwa struggled in his first start, generating just one total quarterback hurry on 32 pass rush snaps, but that's to be expected in his first start in the NFL. Returning from a lower body injury is always a process, and head coach Tom Coughlin talked about how Odighizuwa was just getting acclimated to the NFL.

"He made a really nice play on the quarterback where he kept the ball on the option," Coughlin said to reporters, per Jordan Raanan of True Jersey. "He got himself in position a couple of times where he could have been able to apply some pressure, perhaps, with a little bit better movement to the quarterback and the passing game. He got in there, he got his feet wet."

The Giants are clearly expecting big things out of their rookie defensive end in 2015.