Adetomiwa Adebawore is a Name That Could be Worth Knowing

The Northwestern defensive lineman is rising up draft boards and two NFL Media draftniks have the Eagles taking him in the first round

USA Today

Pronouncing his name is probably worse than it looks.

Spelling it, well, that will take some practice if you need to do it, and maybe, you will need to say or write more often than you think, but, hey, if you figured out Halapoulivaati Vaitai then Northwestern’s Adetomiwa Adebawore will be a breeze. Eventually.

It's pronounced: add-E-TOMMY-wah add-E-BAR-eh.

Adebawore left Mobile, Ala., and the Senior Bowl in early February after nearly a week's worth of standing out in practice and the game. He was believed to be a third-round pick at that time.

Then he went to the NFL Scouting Combine and opened more eyes in Indy.

Now, he is projected to be a possible first-round pick.

Two NFL Media draft experts even have the Eagles taking the Northwestern defensive lineman in the first round.

Chad Reuter has Philly trading with Minnesota to drop from No. 10 to 23 and grabbing the Vikings' third-round pick at No. 87 overall to do it, then taking Adebawore 23rd overall.

Eric Edholm has the Eagles trading with the Texans from 10 to 12, taking Nolan Smith from Georgia, then selecting Adebawore at No. 30.

So, what do we know about Adebawore, other than efforts being made to spell and pronounce correctly?

Northwestern defensive lineman Adetomiwa Adebawore has been climbing drafts boards since the NFL Scouting Combine and could be on the Eagles' radar / USA Today

Well, he’s a defensive lineman in every sense of the word, with the ability to play the edge or inside, and his best fit is in a 4-3 defense.

Former DC Jonathan Gannon loved moving his linemen around, with Fletcher Cox and Milton Williams, in particular, lining up inside and out depending on the game plan. New DC Sean Desai may feel the same way.

“I feel comfortable playing defensive line,” said Adebawore at the Combine, “so wherever a team needs me I'll be very comfortable because I've done it for four years and another four years in high school. I've just done it kind of my whole football career.

“I think it just adds value to my game because you can put me kind of anywhere you want, so if you need a defensive end for a certain situation, you can put me there. If you need a defensive tackle, you can put me there.”

Adebawore is a bit of a tweener at 6-2, 285, though his wingspan is a shade above 6-10.

As NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote, “(he’s) 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.”

Adebawore, whose background includes African royalty, though he grew up in North Kansas City, has 12.5 sacks in 36 games with Northwestern. He followed up his 4.5 sack season two years ago with 5.0 last year. He also had two forced fumbles in each of the past two years with the Wildcats.

Coming from Northwestern, his game has been honed against two first-round talents on the Wildcats’ offensive line – Rashawn Slater, picked 13th overall in 2021 with a Pro Bowl already on his resume, and Peter Skoronski, who is projected to be a top 10 pick in April’s draft.

“Both got me to elevate my game, especially you've got to bring it with those guys every day,” he said. “I bring it with whoever I go against, but especially those guys kind of helped my game and they've made me a better player for sure.”

If he comes to the Eagles, perhaps the next thing to work on, in addition to spelling and pronouncing, would be a good nickname, like Vaita, whose nickname was ‘Big V.'

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglestoday.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.