INDIANAPOLIS — When Greg Gattuso was the defensive line coach at the University of Pittsburgh, he was scouting a western Pennsylvania high school game and by chance spotted an undersized lineman who caught his eye.
“I was a big fan of Aaron Donald and everyone thought he was too small,’’ Gattuso recalled Friday to The Post.
Donald was recruited by Akron, Toledo and that’s it. Gattuso recommended Donald to Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt and a star was born.
As the head football coach at the University at Albany, Gattuso had to face Victor Ochi, an undersized pass rusher from Stony Brook. It was not exactly déjà vu, but the experience did prompt Gattuso to connect some dots.
“Same kind of kid, explosive, powerful,’’ Gattuso said. “Aaron is kind of a different level animal, but Ochi has a lot of those kinds of skills you look for to be a great pass rusher.’’
No one is predicting Ochi as another Aaron Donald — the Rams’ forceful, ferocious Pro Bowl defensive lineman — but there is a place for a smaller-than-desired player when that player possesses the most coveted skill any scout or coach hopes to uncover in a defensive prospect.
Ochi grew up in Valley Stream, L.I., as a Giants fan and knows all about their tradition of defensive players attacking the opposing quarterback.
“Hey,’’ Ochi said Friday at the NFL Scouting Combine, “if they took a chance on me, you could find yourself another pass rusher coming soon.’’
Stony Brook has never had a player taken in the NFL draft.
“It’ll be a very humbling experience for me,’’ said Ochi, who lived in Nigeria for four years and came late to football. “They were the one school to take the chance on me coming out of high school, giving me a full scholarship. To be the first player drafted out of there will be an honor.’’
Despite the modest football pedigree, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper projects Ochi not only will get taken, but also will hear his name early in the process.
“Somebody’s going to get Victor Ochi in the third round and get themselves a heck of a player getting after the quarterback,’’ Kiper said.
Ochi, who does not lack for confidence, was taken aback by that prognostication.
“Mel Kiper said that?’’ Ochi said, his eyes widening.
The Giants do not need one pass rusher, they need several — their 23 sacks in 2015 were the third fewest in the league. Of the players currently on the roster, they have three returning sacks from the 2015 season — two by linebacker Jonathan Casillas and one by Nikita Whitlock, the starting fullback.
“The quickest way to get better is up front on both sides of the ball,’’ first-year head coach Ben McAdoo said. “You have to protect your quarterback and you have to get after the other team’s quarterback.’’
Receiving an invitation to the combine is a big deal for a Stony Brook player — this is only the second time it has happened. The bigger Ochi measured here, the better. His numbers — 6-foot-1, 246 pounds, indicate classic linebacker size, but Ochi is a pass-rushing defensive end. His arm length — 33 ¾ inches — works in his favor.
Ochi will have to prove the dominance he displayed on Long Island and against Colonial Athletic Association opponents can translate to the highest level of football. He is Stony Brook’s career leader in sacks and tackles for loss, notching 23 sacks the past two seasons. He helped himself immensely at the East-West Shrine Game in January, excelling in practice against players from bigger schools.
His size, though, could be an issue. Ochi has been likened to Elvis Dumervil, who is 5-foot-11 and 260 pounds and has 96 sacks in nine NFL seasons. The hottest defensive player in the league, Von Miller of the Super Bowl-champion Broncos, is 6-3, 249.
“He damn near is just the same size as me, coming off the edge,’’ Ochi said.
If Ochi makes an NFL roster, he would become the second Stony Brook player to do so, after tight end Will Tye stuck with the Giants this past season, catching 42 passes as a rookie.
“As a former teammate I expect nothing less of him and I’m going to do the same myself,’’ said Ochi, who met with the Jets at the East-West Shine Game.
“Whoever takes the chance on me is not going to regret it.’’