Ade Adebawore 

Pos: IDL

School: Northwestern

Ht. 6’2″ 

Wt. 282

Games Watched: Nebraska, Ohio State, Purdue

One Liner: Freakishly athletic defensive lineman who wins with power, aggressiveness and functional strength. 

Strengths: 

  • Elite athletic ability. Adebawore boasts unimaginable short area quickness and long speed, clocking in at 4.48 in the NFL combine. This shows up on tape as well. 
  • Very good functional strength. Adebawore has powerful arms and hands that he uses to punch the pads of lineman and drive them back. 
  • Very good motor. Adebawore plays every down with a high level of intensity and is consistently powerful at the POA
  • Very good leverage. Adebawore displays a unique frame that helps him out with leverage and pad level, two categories that often develop in the NFL.
  • Good hand usage. Adebawore uses hand strength and push-pulls with his hands in order to win against lineman and can develop this even more at the next level. 

Weaknesses:

  • Marginal rush moves. Adebawore is unrefined in this area, and needs to develop counters regardless of where he plays on the defensive line. 
  • Marginal instincts in the run game. Adebawore plays with pure fire and aggressiveness as of right now, trying to win against the opponent rather than creatively attempting to make a play in the backfield.  
  • Adequate technique at the POA. Adebawore needs refinement here as well. His body positioning and angles he takes once engaged with offensive lineman needs some improvement. 

Overall Assessment: Ade Adebawore is an athletic freak who boasts some highly projectable traits at the next level. Adebawore needs a lot of refining however, and his technique could really use some help at the next level. Adebawore has a unique frame that allows him to play in line as a 3t, shade as a 4i, and potentially play 5t as well on early downs. 

Scheme Fit: Odd front interior rusher that has versatility to play outside in sub even front packages.

Pick Projection: Early 2nd.

Grade: 6.44