Okoye hopes to follow the success of former Cardinals teammate Elvis Dumervil, who proved as a rookie for the Denver Broncos last season that undersized defensive linemen can have a major impact in the NFL.

With Dumervil having graduated, Okoye not only stepped up to fill the defense's leadership void, he proved to the scouts that he is primed to repeat the success Dumervil has experienced.

As a child, football was the furthest thought in Okoye's mind. He was born in Anambra, Nigeria, and moved to the United States as a pre-teen. He tested into the ninth grade as a 12-year-old when his family moved to Huntsville from Nigeria, and was the youngest player in college football (age 16) when he enrolled at Louisville in 2003.

Okoye took up football as a sophomore at Robert E. Lee High School, knowing next to nothing about the game. He started 13 games on the defensive line as a 13-year-old and played both ways, earning honorable mention all-state honors as a junior. The three-year letter winner logged 60 tackles and nine sacks, picking up first-team all-state honors on both sides of the ball as a senior.

Still, football was new to Okoye when he arrived on the Louisville campus. One of eight true freshmen to letter, the 16-year-old appeared in 13 games behind Tyrone Satterfield at strong-side defensive tackle. He finished his first season with 17 tackles (9 solos), a sack and two stops for losses. He also deflected two passes and caused a fumble.

In 2004, Okoye played behind Bobby Leffew at left tackle, but did earn his first career start in the Army game. He registered 26 tackles (11 solos) with a sack and two stops behind the line of scrimmage in 11 games, missing the East Carolina game with a right shoulder sprain.

As a junior, Okoye went on to start 10 of 11 contests at strong-side tackle. He sat out the Florida Atlantic game with a left foot sprain. With Okoye and fellow tackle Montavious Stanley clogging the middle of the field, it helped free up Elvis Dumervil, who registered 20 sacks and caused 11 fumbles from his end spot. Despite constant double-team coverage, Okoye posted 23 tackles (10 solos) with an assisted sack, four stops for losses and three fumble recoveries.

Firmly entrenched as the defense's leader in 2006, Okoye was a unanimous All-Big East Conference first-team choice. He recorded a career-high 58 tackles (38 solos) with eight sacks and 15 stops for losses. He also caused three fumbles.

In 48 games at Louisville, Okoye started 24 times. He finished with 121 tackles (68 solos), 10½ sacks for minus-42 yards and 23 stops for losses totaling 81 yards. He registered three quarterback pressures and deflected three passes. He caused four fumbles and recovered three others.

Positives: Has a shorter than ideal frame, but shows adequate muscle tone, dropping more than 25 pounds of "baby fat" from the start of the 2006 season until arriving at Senior Bowl practices in January … Has the low center of gravity and lower body strength needed to man the nose guard or three-technique position … Plays until the whistle and it is rare to see him throttle down … Has made good strides in finishing on the play and has developed into a quick read-and-react type … Has the short-area explosion to slip past the center shooting the gaps … Keeps his feet on the move and uses his long arm reach effectively to prevent blockers from locking him up … Takes the plays from the chalkboard to the field with no problems … Very combative with his hands when taking on double-team action … Though short, he has the wide framed with a thick chest, loose hips and big thighs to hold ground firmly at the point of attack … Has sudden movements to get on the edge of a blocker, demonstrating natural hand strength and proper position to shed with ease … Very instinctive, reacting quickly to running schemes, as he is a quick twitch type, known to gain immediate advantage off the snap with his explosion … Plays with his head up and has developed a good feel to react quickly to block pressure … Knifes through the line with good urgency and has the natural strength to maintain leverage … His low center of gravity makes it tough for a blocker to move him out, and he shows good quickness in the gaps to disrupt the pocket (needs to finish better once he gets into the backfield, though) … Easily defeats the isolated blocker with strength and all-out effort … Is best when he gets on the center's head, as it allows him to burst quickly into the backfield to push the pocket … Adequate at flushing the quarterback out, but needs to be quicker when closing … Stacks the run at the point of attack, coming off the snap with a low, powerful leg drive … His low center of gravity allows him to gain leverage and opponents must use double-team blocking in order to contain him, as his hand usage usually knocks the blockers off stride … Does a good job of bending his knees and opening his hips to stack blocks and split the double team … Very active with his hands, working them across the face to defeat blockers … Takes good angles to the ball playing off the line, and is most effective when utilized to clog the inside rush lanes rather than pursue the passer.

Negatives: Shorter than ideal, causing problems when he fails to keep his hands active trying to fill the rush lanes and the center gets assistance in blocking him out (susceptible to cut blocks) … Can push the pocket, but seems to lack the closing burst needed to get to the quarterback consistently (needs to finish better) … His size could be a problem in a one-gap system … While he delivers punishing hand swipes in closed quarters, he can get reckless while operating in space … Does not possess sustained speed to pursue long distances, working better in the short area … Lost bulk to improve his stamina, but needs to put some back on to compete against the bigger blockers at the pro level … Very good in run containment, but he lacks pass rush moves despite eight sacks as a senior … Can move laterally with some effectiveness, but will struggle to redirect and is slow to recover when taking a wide loop in backside pursuit … Can push the pocket and has good initial quickness, but lacks the sudden speed to close on the quarterback … Even though he is known to clog the middle, only two of his 55 tackles in 2006 came inside the red zone.

Compares To: Reggie White, ex-Philadelphia/Green Bay … To compare a player to White is something that can not be done without much consideration … But the more you see Okoye on game films, the more convinced you become that he will not only have a long, fruitful career, but will continue to grow both physically and mentally. He has such great fire and plays with the relentless pace that made White the measuring stick for all other defensive linemen … He has the low center of gravity to play over the head of the center, the speed and explosion to shoot the gaps and the quickness to even move out and attack on the edge … Okoye is The NFL Draft Report's top-rated player for the 2007 draft.

2004: Sat out the East Carolina game (9/30) with a right shoulder sprain.

2005: Did not play vs. Florida Atlantic (10/1) and saw limited action the following week vs. North Carolina due to a left mid foot sprain.

Campus: 4.97 in the 40-yard dash … 475-pound bench press … Bench presses 225 pounds 33 times … 605-pound back squat … 352-pound hang clean … 33½-inch arm length … 9-inch hands … Right-handed.

Combine: 5.06 in the 40-yard dash … 1.81 10-yard dash … 2.96 20-yard dash … 7.46 three-cone drill … 30-inch vertical jump … 9-foot-3 broad jump … Bench pressed 225 pounds 29 times.

Attended Robert E. Lee (Huntsville, Ala.) High School, playing football for head coach David O'Connor … Took up football as a sophomore, knowing next to nothing about the game … Started 13 games on the defensive line as a 13-year-old and played both ways, earning honorable mention all-state honors as a junior … The three-year letter winner logged 60 tackles and nine sacks, picking up first-team all-state honors on both sides of the ball as a senior.

Psychology major … Son of Augustine and Edna Okoye … Born June 10, 1987 in Anambra, Nigeria … Resides in Hunstville, Ala.