“He ended up playing that position, playing man-to-man a lot on slot receivers, on tight ends, blitzing off the edge, being a primary run supporter,” Reno said. “At that point in time, it was one of those things where you hit the sweet spot. That’s exactly where he belongs. He dominated play, week in and week out. The thing about Foye is he’s got such great length and athleticism. He was able to run around with receivers and physical enough to hang in there with the tight ends. He really did well with us at that position for us.”
The traits that have impressed the Falcons were evident on Day 1 at Yale. Reno said Oluokun was a highly motivated and driven player the moment he stepped foot on campus. He continued to get bigger in the weight room each year. And ideally, Oluokun would have played the “viper” position sooner in his career. Early on, Yale had an experienced player at the position and Reno didn’t want to move him. And in subsequent seasons, Reno said there weren’t enough good defensive backs on the roster to where the coaching staff felt compelled to keep Oluokun at safety.
But in his final season in 2017, with the secondary depth where it finally needed to be, Oluokun got to play the “viper” role.
When he did, he flourished.
“He’s one of those guys that understands the game really well,” Reno said. “He’s not afraid to ask questions to continue to get a deeper understanding of things. He understands the whole defense. He’s one of those guys who wants to understand everything so that way he can do his job better. With him, countless hours -- he’s one of those film junkies. He’ll watch an incredible amount of film.”
Oluokun spent the bulk of his offseason training in Colorado. He didn’t return to the Atlanta area until a month later than usual because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, Oluokun felt he prepared as well as he possibly could in the absence of organized team activities and minicamp.
Although Oluokun hasn’t been considered a starter on the Falcons’ defense, he did get starting experience as a rookie. When Deion Jones broke his toe during the 2018 season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, Oluokun started seven of the 10 games Jones was forced to miss. Coach Dan Quinn said those starts helped instill enough belief to where he felt comfortable moving forward with Oluokun in his first unit.
“He’s a better player today than he was as a rookie,” Quinn said. “The progress that he’s made -- leadership, man-to-man coverage, leverage and tackling. We’re excited about Foye. We like the development that he’s made and I know he’s certainly ready to take another jump.”
Said Jones: “I really can’t wait to see him come out and show the world what he’s been working on. He’s been grinding, he’s been working silently. He’s been learning. He knows a lot of ball. It’s our job as his teammates to bring all that knowledge out of him. I think he’s going to do a good job. He’s not backing down from the play. With that attitude, we’re going to be A-OK.”
While the pandemic kept Oluokun away from his teammates and coaches this offseason, he said it actually allowed him more time to focus on football. He found himself with a lot more time to spend on training for the coming season, even if it was only on an individual basis.
Heading into his third season, Oluokun believes his past two seasons have helped prepare him for this moment as he becomes an NFL starting linebacker.
“Once you have that confidence, really that you’re able to make plays, it’s just being an athlete in general,” Oluokun said. “If you played spots growing up and you’re thinking about not messing up, you’re not going to play as good. If you’re thinking about balling, you’re going to play better.”
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