2023 NFL Draft Profile: Northwestern defensive lineman Adetomiwa Adebawore

One prospect who may interest the Denver Broncos on day two of the 2023 NFL Draft is Northwestern defensive lineman Adetomiwa Adebawore. He is a 6’2”, 282-pound defensive lineman who is one of the more athletic defensive linemen in this draft. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has him ranked as his 7th-best defensive lineman in the draft and his 68th overall player in the draft.

He has played a total of four seasons at Northwestern and was a productive member of their defense for the past three seasons. During his four-year career at Northwestern, Adetomiwa Adebawore totaled 97 tackles, 24.5 tackles for a loss, 12.5 sacks, 6 pass deflections, and 4 forced fumbles. This past season, he totaled 38 tackles, 9 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks (all career highs), and 2 forced fumbles.

Player Profile

Height: 6’2”

Weight: 282 pounds

Arm Length: 33 7/8 inches

Hands: 10 ¹⁄₂ inches

40-time: 4.49 seconds

Vertical Jump: 37.5 inches

Broad Jump: 10’5”

Bench Press: 27 bench reps

Film Room

Scouting Report

Strength

• Insane testing numbers at the Combine
• A stout and thick player who looks the part
• Freakishly long arms
• Displays strength and uses his long arms to get by blockers
• Has big strong hands and has a quick rapid punch
• Explosive off the snap
• High motor and does not quit on a play
• Played through injuries and rarely left the field
• Just a freaky athlete and a high-upside player
• Team captain and good culture guy for the locker room

Weaknesses

• A classic “tweener” who is a little big to play outside and is a little “small” to play inside
• Lacks lower body twitch and plays kinda stiff
• Missed way too many tackles
• Needs to develop more pass-rush moves
• Did not have big-time production at Northwestern

Northwestern IDL Adetomiwa Adebawore’s RAS

What other analysts are saying about Northwestern IDL Adetomiwa Adebawore

Adebawore seems like a positional tweener, checking in a little short for the edge and a little light for the interior. However, he was able to handle himself at the point of attack at the Senior Bowl and is just a few hearty meals away from checking in at a weight that could pass for an even front three-technique. He’s a powerful man who wins with force over fluidity. He will need better play recognition in the future, but his explosive first contact and ability to play under his opponent’s pads could earn him a spot as a base end with sub-package rush ability or simply as a rotational interior defender. - NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein

A three-year starter at Northwestern, Adebawore was primarily an edge rusher (6-tech) in former defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil’s four-man front, also seeing snaps head up over the tackle or inside the B-gap. On a below-average team that won just four of 24 games the last two years, he led the Wildcats in sacks and forced fumbles both seasons and flashed dominance throughout Senior Bowl week. A member of Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List, Adebawore is shot out of a cannon at the snap and uses his initial burst and play strength to get into blockers and drive them into the pocket, creating flashbacks of Lamarr Houston. He is well built with linear twitch, but his lower body flexibility is average and his tackling must improve versus NFL ball carriers. Adebawore needs to become more consistent in several areas, but he has explosive power in his body with the long arms and natural leverage to be disruptive. An outside rusher in college, he projects best inside as a 3- technique in the NFL - The Athletic’s Dane Brugler

Final Thoughts

With Dre’Mont Jones and DeShawn Williams both leaving via free agency this offseason, the Broncos have some holes along their defensive front. They did sign Zach Allen during free agency and have two 2022 draft picks on the roster to compete for that spot, but they could still add some depth and competition to that position group.

Adebwore is a freakish athlete who could add a pass-rushing element to the Broncos' defensive line that might be lacking with Jones leaving. He is a bit of a tweener but has freakishly long arms, explosion, and strength to be productive in the NFL with some refinement.

He is projected to be a late second-round to third-round pick, but there is a chance a team will select him earlier because of these eye-popping testing results. If he is on the board when the Broncos select, I think they should consider adding the explosive Adebawore to their defensive rotation.