Adetomiwa Adebawore 2023 NFL Draft Profile
One of the biggest risers coming out of the 2023 NFL Combine was Adetomiwa Adebawore (pronounced add-E-TOMMY-wah add-E-BAR-eh) from Northwestern. Adebawore led the Wildcats in sacks in 2022 with five, nine tackles-for-loss and two forced fumbles. Did he do enough at the combine to be a late riser up NFL Draft boards? Let’s talk about it.
Athletically, Adetomiwa Adebawore is off the charts. He ran the 40 in 4.49 seconds with a 1.61 split, both of which are blazing speeds for EDGE rushers. He would also bust out 27 reps at the bench press, and jump a 37.5” vert and 10’5” broad jump. From Trey’s notes, he impressed in drills with the biggest strength he showed was dropping into coverage. An EDGE that can drop back when asked would be a valued commodity at the next level.
I’m not quite sure where Adebawore fits in the NFL. At 282 pounds, he’s a little heavier than this writer would like for EDGE, but slightly too small to kick inside. He’s in a great position, however, because if he drops some pounds and adds even more strength, he can definitely stay. Or, add a little more weight and use that blazing speed to be a menace inside.
He’s got the explosiveness you’re looking for to play either position. His hands didn’t do him justice at the combine, but he has a good punch at the point of attack. Adebawore tends to find success with slightly limited rush moves, but the ones he does have, he showed at the Senior Bowl.
As I mentioned above, he does have a limited rush tree. Micah Parsons didn’t even really rush the quarterback in college and it took him getting into camp to really learn how to. I’d like to see him become more of a sure tackler as well. Shedding tackles and getting outside to chase down defenders with that speed should be something of a priority in camp next season. I do think we will see a change in weight in either direction before he sees a snap in the NFL.
Adetomiwa Adebawore is definitely a late riser this draft season. I have an early day-two grade on Adebawore. Some mocks have him finding a way into the first round, which I don’t hate, but I think the value is way better in the second. He has tons of potential and if you can tap into that, you’ve found yourself a gem.
