Big Board ranking: #28
Positional ranking: #2
Overview
Position: DL
College: Northwestern
Class: Senior
Age: 22
Measurables
Height: 6’1 5/8”
Weight: 282 lbs.
Arm length: 33 7/8”
Hand size: 10 1/2″
Athletic testing
40-yard dash: 4.49 sec.
10-yard split: 1.61 sec.
Vertical jump: 37.5”
Broad jump: 125.0”
Bench press: 27 reps
3-cone drill: N/A
Short shuttle: N/A
Strengths
Phenomenal athleticism on the defensive line. Very energetic player. Above-average length considering his size. Extremely explosive first step. Outstanding quickness and burst. Relentless versus the run. Excellent pursuit speed and hustle. Superb play recognition and instincts. Great vision in the trenches. Terrific range down the line of scrimmage. Tremendous strength. Hands are powerful to shed. Quick shed-and-tackle ability for runs towards him. Very aggressive taking on blockers. Extends with two hands when engaged. Uses length to keep blockers off his frame and hold his ground. Very quick crossing the face of opponents to crash inside. Disruptive penetrating in short-yardage situations. Has shown a powerful bull rush. Quick inside move as an edge rusher. Rare ability to break down in space for a defensive lineman. Mostly played five-technique with experience kicking inside. Lined up on both sides of the formation. Experience with some short zone drops. Impressive stamina and rarely leave the field despite high effort. Played great in a close loss to Ohio State (2022). Looked like a more complete player in 2022.
Weaknesses
Below-average height for the interior. Could be viewed as a tweener based on size and skillset. Will have some scraping tackle attempts where he only gets his hands on the ball-carrier. Needs to develop more counter moves as a pass rusher. Has trouble shedding/disengaging as a pass rusher if he doesn’t win early.
NFL comparison
Milton Williams
Conclusion
Overall, Adebawore is an extremely athletic defensive lineman with big-time upside based on the ability and flashes shown at Northwestern. It will be a transition as a full-time interior player, but Adebawore has star potential at the next level.