Dayo Odeyingbo 2021 NFL Draft Profile
Position: EDGE
Height: 6’-5”
Weight: 285 pounds
School: Vanderbilt
Dayo Odeyingbo 2021 NFL Draft Profile
One of the hardest parts of the NFL Draft process is separating production from talent, and Dayo Odeyingbo is the perfect encapsulation of that struggle. Despite all of his obvious God-given talent, Odeyingbo just hasn’t been able to produce like some of the other great players in this class. As a Senior, the edge defender finished his final year with eight tackles-for-loss and a career-high 5.5 sacks. He had a chance to show what he could do at the Senior Bowl, but unfortunately tore his ACL before making it on the field.
Odeyingbo originally joined the college football ranks as a four-star recruit. Committing to Vanderbilt, Odeyingbo made an immediate impact as a true freshman, recording 20 tackles, 4.5 tackles-for-loss, and 2.5 sacks. Over the next two seasons, Odeyingbo recorded just two sacks and 16.5 tackles-for-loss.
Strengths
- Everything you’d want in an edge defender from a traits perspective;
- At his best, looks as good as anyone in this class at getting to the quarterback;
- Fantastic athlete with long arms;
- Steadily improved throughout his college career;
- Positional versatility to move inside on passing downs;
- Multiple pass rushing moves for opposing linemen to think about.
Weaknesses
- Should have been much more productive than he actually was;
- Raw player that needs to improve fundamentals to reach his ceiling;
- Misses a lot of tackles;
- Not the best run defender – struggles to consistently set edge against bigger competition
- Wild style of play – needs to be more focused and improve body control;
- Tore his Achilles in the offseason and will need to prove he’s healthy.
NFL Comparison: Chandler Jones
Teams With Need At Position: Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles
Projection: 3rd Round
Bottom Line on Dayo Odeyingbo
Any evaluation of Dayo Odeyingbo is going to come down to what you look for in a prospect. If you’re the type of person that likes seeing what a player CAN do, then you’re probably going to love Odyingbo. The Vanderbilt product is a freak athlete with the size and athletic profile to turn into a double-digit sack type of guy. He can line up all over the formation, has multiple pass-rushing moves, and knows how to use his massive wingspan to separate from blockers. If he puts it all together, Odeyingbo could easily turn into one of the best pass rushers in this class.
However, if you evaluate guys on what they’ve actually done on the field, then you probably won’t be as high on Odeyingbo. Someone with this much talent should have been much more productive, and a large reason for that disparity comes down to his technique. Odeyingbo still has a long way to go with his consistency as a pass rusher, so it might take a while before he’s ready to start. Additionally, he struggles against the run, both as an edge defender and as a tackler. This isn’t a dealbreaker in today’s NFL, but it’s certainly not a good thing.
Assuming Odeyingbo doesn’t have any long-term medical red flags from his torn Achilles, he is easily worth a third-round investment. Odeyingbo is a high-risk, high-reward type of player that would probably thrive with a year on the bench to learn from some NFL-caliber coaching.
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