Colts' Offseason Spotlight: Adetomiwa Adebawore

Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore flashed his potential in year one. Can he take a massive step forward in year two?

Nov 12, 2023; Frankfurt, Germany; Indianapolis Colts defensive end Adetomiwa Adebawore (95) in the first half during an NFL International Series game against the New England Patriots at Deutsche Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Indianapolis Colts selected defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Adebawore, 23, saw 132 snaps on defense as a rookie and he could be in for an increased role heading into his second season.

Adebawore caught the attention of the NFL world last offseason during the NFL Combine. At 6'1" 282 pounds, he ran a blazing 4.49 second forty yard dash at the event. He followed that elite time up with similarly impressive numbers in both the vertical jump (37.5 inches) and the broad jump (125 inches) drills.

Despite this remarkable showing, Adebawore fell to the fourth round come draft night (even though he was ranked as high as 56th overall in the class by Pro Football Focus). The Colts decided to slow-play Adebawore's development in year one, mostly using him as a reserve defensive tackle and as a special teams player this past season.

Adebawore is the forgotten man on a seemingly strong Colts' defensive line heading into 2024. Can the second year player emerge as a difference maker for the team?

The Flashes are There

Adebawore rarely saw the field as a rookie last season, but he did have a four game stretch in the middle of the year where he saw over half of his total defensive snaps with the team. From weeks 9 to 13, he saw 79 defensive snaps in total. In his 41 snaps rushing the passer during that stretch, Adebawore accumulated two sacks, two quarterback hits, and two hurries (according to Pro Football Focus).

He boasted a respectable pass rush win rate of 13.6% during that four game stretch as well, which was good for 22nd in the NFL among qualifying defensive tackles that month. Those numbers aren't phenomenal by any stretch of the imagination, but they are a good start for a young player seeing time at a new position.

Adebawore's explosion off of the snap and his relentlessness as a pass rusher are on full display in these clips. These aren't the cleanest reps in the world, but the traits are certainly there to work with. If he can bring this motor and athleticism once he's more developed with his hands, he has legit potential on the interior as a pass rusher.

Adetomiwa Adebawore didn't see the field much as a rookie (just 70 pass rush snaps) but he flashed some good things. He had 6 pressures in those 70 snaps, including two sacks and another near-sack.

He needs to get stronger and more comfortable, but I like his upside still pic.twitter.com/wTbIA9vafL

— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) May 21, 2024

The Next Step

Adebawore flashed enough as a rookie to show promise in the NFL, but he still has some work to do until he is ready to be a full time player for the team. He needs to add more strength to play full time on the interior and he needs to properly build up his core strength to survive against double teams and combo blocks.

He also needs to simply finish plays. Pro Football Focus charted him with three missed tackles last season on just seven tackle attempts. A defender completing a tackle at a mark just above 50% is not ideal in the slightest. He needs to play more in control as a sophomore and turn these flashes into more big time plays for the defense.

Luckily, Adebawore is blessed with fantastic traits, and a relentless motor, that don't appear to be going away anytime soon. NFL players with those two attributes are hard to find, so it just comes down to the offseason work Adebawore has put in to refine the ball of clay that is his game at the moment.

Adetomiwa Adebawore is so damn explosive. He needs some fine tuning but his quickness off of the snap is such an asset pic.twitter.com/YxTJRUiY8w

— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) August 21, 2023

The Bottom Line

Adetomiwa Adebawore has a difficult path to earning playing time in 2024, but the athletic defensive tackle can still make an impact in year two. He has all the traits in the world to be a playmaker for this defense, he just needs to continue to refine his ability.

If Adebawore took the time this offseason to hone in on his craft and add strength to his frame, he could be a Training Camp surprise for the Colts this offseason.

Need your fill on daily Colts' content? Head over to the Locked On Colts' YouTube channel where Jake Arthur and Zach Hicks hit on all the major topics surrounding this team. Hit that subscribe button while you are there!

Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Facebook and X, and subscribe on YouTube for multiple Colts live-stream podcasts per week