High School and College Career

Adetomiwa Adebawore ifrom North Kansas City High School was rated a 3-star recruit and decided to join Northwestern University.

In his freshman year in 2019, Adebawore played in 7 games for the Wildcats and participated in a total of 193 snaps. He managed to record 6 tackles and 15 total pressures, including 14 QB hurries and a single sack on the season.

As a sophomore in 2020, Adebawore played in 9 games and became a more integral member of the team with 465 total snaps. He finished with 14 tackles and 17 total pressures, achieving 10 QB hurries, 5 QB hits, and 2 sacks.

In his junior year in 2021, Adebawore continued to be a reliable player for Northwestern, playing in 12 games and participating in 589 snaps. He recorded 27 tackles and 30 total pressures with 21 QB hurries, 4 QB hits, and an impressive 5 sacks by the end of the season.

Finally, in his senior year in 2022, Adebawore played in 12 games and had the most playing time out of all four years with a total of 712 snaps. He recorded 28 tackles and 31 total pressures with 20 QB hurries, 6 QB hits, and 5 sacks.

Throughout his time at Northwestern, Adetomiwa Adebawore became a dependable player for the Wildcats, contributing to their defensive efforts each year. He was versatile as a pass rusher, consistently putting pressure on the opposing quarterback and improving his stats each year.

Adetomiwa Adebawore Scouting Report Introduction

Adetomiwa Adebawore, a defensive lineman from Northwestern, has been projected as a hybrid defensive lineman in the NFL due to his versatility on the field. He has the size to take on tackles and the quickness to shoot gaps inside making him a valuable asset for any team.

His natural athleticism is evident in the moments where he attacks at the snap. He is competent in gap control and reading blocks which is due to his squatty build and natural leverage. He often plays under the pads of blockers thanks to his height and showcases strong hands to create jolt and establish stalemates. He has sufficient length despite his frame and has illustrated the ability to deconstruct blocks when needed to disengage from the flow of the ball carrier.

His best reps on the field come as an interior penetration player where his first-step quickness pairs well with his center of gravity to allow him to quickly move past blockers and get into a hip-to-hip position. From there, he can close in on the quarterback effectively, although it would be beneficial to see him finish more of his opportunities to uncover in the backfield with finished tackles for loss or sacks. His film showcases much more disruption than the box score would indicate.

While he impresses with his quickness and his use of hands, his skills in winning off the edge are limited because of his modest lateral bend. This results in him often relying on rushing with power from wide angles. Although he has the power to win against soft-setting tackles, his ceiling is limited if he is utilized exclusively on the outside.

Adebawore is a tireless, high-effort football player who is capable of fulfilling a range of roles on the field. He has desirable disruption up front and can also play a modest, gap-control role if needed. His interior pass-rushing skills are particularly impressive as his aggressiveness and quickness can pair well with his condensed frame to offer a small strike zone and low leverage against interior, heavy-footed blockers.

What Adebawore does on early downs will vary depending on the team that drafts him. However, he is likely at his best as an interior pass-rusher, and teams unafraid of condensing their edge players inside on obvious passing situations will find him particularly valuable. This flexibility opens him up to playing a higher percentage of snaps, allowing him to live up to a more noteworthy valuation and investment.

Strengths

Adetomiwa Adebawore is a football player who possesses exceptional qualities that make him stand out among his peers. In addition to these impressive physical abilities, the player has displayed an explosive first step and elite speed, which he consistently converts into power.

Despite having the speed of a typical edge player, Adebawore has demonstrated an impressive ability to generate pressure while working on the inside, where he is too quick for even the most competent offensive guards. This skill positions him as an elite interior rusher in the draft class. Additionally, Adebawore has shown the requisite violence needed for the interior rusher position.

In terms of his run defense, Adebawore has proven to be an agile run-stopper. As an end, he extends himself to grab backside players, putting his exceptional foot quickness and hustle on full display. His agility also allows him to chase plays downfield and to the sideline, making him an effective run defender.

Adebawore has a long, athletic build that makes him look the part of an effective football player. He also possesses an impressive burst off the snap that allows him to cross the face of collegiate tackles, putting him in a prime position to make game-changing plays behind the line of scrimmage. His straight-line speed is one of his most impressive qualities, as he can consistently burn past opponents on the edges with ease. His wide and bull rushes are also effective when he’s first off the snap.

Weaknesses

Adebawore lacks the footwork and flexibility required to pose a threat around the edge of play. As a result, he is forced to rely on his speed and athleticism to make up for his undeveloped pass-rush moves. This was enough for the most part in college, but will be far from adequate in the NFL.

Additionally, Adebawore lacks the ideal length for an edge rusher, making him somewhat ill-suited to the position. Specifically, he is on the smaller end of the scale for this role, with limited room on his frame to add weight to compensate for this disadvantage. Adebawore is a bit undersized height-wise as well. He has yet to develop a repertoire of pass-rush moves that can make him an effective player. As a result, he is often forced to rely on his ability to overpower blockers, rather than executing more effective strategies that would demonstrate his mastery of the game.
Adebawore’s tackling abilities are lacking. He does not wrap up his tackles effectively, which makes him less effective at disrupting the play.

Adetomiwa Adebawore is the 156th prospect on our draft big board.