Chris Ballard is doing Chris Ballard things to kick off Day 3 of the NFL draft by betting on prospects that have athletic traits and play in the trenches. The second selection of the day for the Indianapolis Colts was defensive lineman Adetomiwa Adebawore.
The Northwestern product is bringing some elite athleticism with him to the Indy defensive front.
His sub 4.5 40-yard time made him the only 280+ pound prospect to do that in the entire history of combine. Adebawore is a freaky player because of his elite athletic testing. His size dinged him since he is considered a defensive tackle in his RAS score, but he still finds himself as the 46th-ranked prospect for the position since 1987.
Adetomiwa Adebawore was drafted with pick 110 of round 4 in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 9.72 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 46 out of 1620 DT from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/6Jk3oywNzm pic.twitter.com/Wm9fnXPtqK
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 29, 2023
It will be interesting to see if the Colts want him to put on more weight to be more of a three-technique or if they will slide him inside and out as a rotational piece similar to how they’ve used Tyquan Lewis. He’s stout against the run because of his initial burst and how he uses his strong hands to shed an offensive lineman.
Aside from hurricane winds, #Northwestern DL Adetomiwa Adebawore #99 was the second-most disruptive force on the field vs. OSU. Interesting senior prospect.
3-tech on 3rd-and-1. Doesn’t let the LG reach his outside shoulder. pic.twitter.com/h0zfHgfh8n
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) November 7, 2022
His handwork translates as a pass rusher as well. He does a solid job getting leverage against offensive linemen and using a set of moves to win on the edge.
Adetomiwa Adebawore with the cross chop rip #SeniorBowl pic.twitter.com/4AymAZftyv
— Tyler Browning (@DiabeticTyler) February 2, 2023
If Adebawore doesn’t want to use a pass-rush move, he also has the strength to bullrush linemen.
Adetomiwa Adebawore had him on skates #SeniorBowl pic.twitter.com/h8PQMLA79u
— Tyler Browning (@DiabeticTyler) February 3, 2023
He will need to work on being a consistent tackler, he gets himself in a position to make a play but left too many missed opportunities on the field. He also can become a better pass rusher with the development of counter moves. He can get stood up if the first move doesn’t win.
The Colts are getting an athletic, versatile player that has the traits that can help him develop into a starter. At worst, he’s a piece in a rotation on the defensive line that can be used on all three downs.
