Why Anfernee Orji could become Clark Lea's first NFL draft pick with Vanderbilt football

Since Clark Lea was hired as Vanderbilt football coach in December 2020, he's snapped a three-year SEC losing streak and gotten the program to one win away from a bowl game.

Although Lea has made the program more respectable than it was in the last days under Derek Mason, there's an accomplishment he still hasn't had: getting a player drafted.

The last Commodore to be selected in the NFL Draft was Dayo Odeyingbo in 2021. Just five Vanderbilt players have been selected in the past five drafts, with none in 2022. But linebacker Anfernee Orji could change that.

Orji had a productive four-year career at Vanderbilt but took his career to a new level under Clark Lea. In 2022, he led the SEC with 108 total tackles and also had 7.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception.

He also turned heads at the NFL Combine, where he led all linebackers with a 38.5-inch vertical jump and was second among linebackers with a seven-second three-cone time. He also ran a 4.53-second 40-yard dash. At Vanderbilt's Pro Day on Tuesday, Orji did not repeat the testing but he did complete position drills in front of NFL scouts.

Orji is not listed in NFL mock drafts, reflecting the reality that he is not considered an early-round pick. But given his production and testing numbers, he could well become Lea's first draft pick by being selected sometime in a later round.

"Clark Lea, I have to say that now, he's a linebacker genius," Orji said. "He taught me so much about the position, so much about like, helping me just be man, football player, all that so he helped me be a pro. Really so lucky to have him as a coach."

Orji said that he's been told by scouts that he's an explosive athlete and plays with good effort but that he needs to show he can be an "alpha" player on defense as well as more coverage ability. Orji listed the Titans and Cowboys as teams with which he has visits scheduled.

Lea currently works at a disadvantage in recruiting due to a number of reasons. Among them are lack of program success, facilities that are behind other SEC schools (although upgrades are in progress) and academic restrictions. But Lea and his staff tout their developmental focus to recruits and as such, an uptick in NFL Draft selections could aid that mission.

"If he were to get drafted and just prove that, hey, we work in the SEC, we play against the best and with the best players, and he's obviously an elite player," linebackers coach Nick Lezynski told The Tennessean. "And if he does it, there are guys on our roster that for sure can do it and have the ability, and then also, guys that we're recruiting. We're talking about, 'Hey, you can be the next Anfernee Orji.' He's a great ambassador for our program."

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Anfernee Orji could become Clark Lea's first Vanderbilt NFL draft pick