[
theramswire.usatoday.com]
By Cameron DaSilva
For two years, Rams fans have anxiously awaited the arrival of Ogbonnia Okoronkwo as an impact pass rusher. His rookie year in 2018 was essentially lost to a foot injury, and last season, he was blocked on the depth chart by Dante Fowler Jr. and Clay Matthews.
Now, both of those veterans are gone and Okoronkwo has a clear path to a starting job. He’s ready to capitalize on that opportunity in 2020, potentially breaking out after two years of frustration.
He tweeted that he’s in the best shape of his life, which sounds like a cliché phrase said by most athletes during the offseason.
However, Okoronkwo actually looks like he’s in excellent shape, even during this difficult time when gyms and the team’s facility aren’t open. He’s been working out all spring, doing sand work and boxing training, too.
Here’s a look at a sand drill he went through a few weeks ago, helping build up his foot speed and quickness.
Okoronkwo also shared a handful of photos of himself working out, showing off his chiseled physique.
What’s helped Okoronkwo stay in such great shape is his transition to being a part-time vegetarian. Back in February, he told TheRams.com that he’s 245 pounds and not eating meat. Once the season picks back up, he’ll eat meat again, but he has 9% body fat and is still cut despite being a vegetarian.
“When the season picks up then I’ll definitely be back,” he said. “But I just feel good, a lot of energy. My body feels really clean. I feel like energized when I wake up, yeah. I’m loving it.”
According to Okoronkwo, one of the biggest misconceptions in the NFL is that every player is a body-builder. That’s not the case, because every position and role is so unique and specific to each player.
“Everybody thinks that we’re these chiseled body-builder types. But a lot of the time a lot of the guys don’t have that traditional body-builder look,” he said. “A lot of guys are very skilled, so they don’t have to be super strong or super fast, or they don’t have to look like a superhero to be really good at what they do. They’re intricate and very detailed in their skills. So that’s what makes them so much better than everybody else.”
Okoronkwo still needs to improve his technique and skill set if he wants to become a reliable starter, but he’s putting in the work to take that third-year leap in Los Angeles.ù
