David Ojabo says it ‘means the world’ he’s reunited with Mike Macdonald in Baltimore

David Ojabo had just one career tackle heading into the 2021 season, but things all changed with Mike Macdonald as Michigan’s defensive coordinator. Ojabo had 11 sacks and five forced fumbles last season, cementing himself as a top draft pick.

Ojabo’s time with Macdonald isn’t over, though. Macdonald is the Baltimore Ravens new defensive coordinator, and the Ravens drafted Ojabo in the second round with the No. 45 pick.

The fact that Ojabo will be reunited with Macdonald something he isn’t taking lightly —- it’s greatly appreciated.

“It means the world, again. That’s just how I know that it’s all part of the plan. What are the odds that the person who comes in and gives me a chance to play (at Michigan) ultimately is the guy I’m following to the next level as well?.” Ojabo said. “I just know that it’s all written, man. It’s meant to be.”

Ojabo tore his achilles at Michigan’s pro day, which led to him falling from the front of the first round to the middle of the second — the Ravens and general manager Eric DeCosta were excited he was still on the board. The familiarity the Ravens organization has with Michigan and head coach Jim Harbaugh served Baltimore well here.

“David is a guy that we’ve all seen play multiple times. He’s a player, this fall, that I saw and thought at some point would be a viable pick for us in the first round. He just really came on this year with tremendous pass rushing ability, speed, quickness, all the things you want to see,” DeCosta said. “Plus, we had the benefit of getting a lot of information from the school, obviously, because of Mike Macdonald and Jim Harbaugh. So, we knew the type of kid he was. For us, at this point to get him in the second round was actually great. We were very excited to take him, as you can imagine.”

The excitement is mutual.

“I really can’t wait to get going,” Ojabo said.