NFL Draft: Notre Dame DT Jayson Ademilola Out To Prove Worth This Draft Process

Heading into the 2022 season, defensive tackle Jayson Ademilola returned as one of the more underrated defensive lineman in all of college football. Unfortunately, he dealt with some inconsistencies, including working through some nagging injuries and a couple quieter games.

There has never been a question about talent level for Ademilola, and he will have a chance to show NFL evaluators that he is still nowhere near his ceiling. The draft process is a massive opportunity to showcase that upside.

CAREER OVERVIEW

Ademilola was a highly coveted recruit coming out of St. Peter’s Prep in New Jersey. A consensus four-star recruit coming out, he was selected to compete at the 2018 All-American Bowl.

The New Jersey native was a main contributor for the Notre Dame defensive line over his first three years, playing in a total of 30 games with a couple of starts. Ademilola went into 2021 pegged to be a full time starter inside.

During his final two years, Ademilola started in 23 of the 24 games that he played. His best season came in 2021 where he was named as a Phil Steele All-Independent First Team selection.

In his five years at Notre Dame, Ademilola collected 135 total tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks. He also broke up two passes and forced a fumble during his career.

Ademilola was selected to participate in the 2023 NFLPA Bowl.

EYE IN THE SKY

A slightly undersized defensive lineman, Ademilola has played in both even and odd man fronts during his Irish career. He is a lightning quick interior player who makes his living as a one gap penetration style player. That is where his impact has been felt the most during his time with the program.

Ademilola can be a tough task for opposing offensive lineman with his combination of first step explosiveness and flexibility. He is a slippery pass rusher who also plays with good effort throughout the entirety of plays.

For a penetration style rusher, Ademilola does boast good length to gain extension at the point of attack. That should allow him the ability to work out to a 4i, 4 and even 5 techniques at time.

Unfortunately, Ademilola just doesn’t have a body type that is going to be able to hold enough bulk to play consistently near 300 pounds. This does limit his ability to counteract physicality and size, with little ability to anchor against double teams.

For as talented of a player that Ademilola is, he was never able to have the consistent impact on the game that you might expect from a production standpoint. There is still quite a bit of upside that the New Jersey native could reach but he must show more consistency from a technical perspective, stay on the field at a higher volume and finish more plays.

CURRENT PROJECTION

Ademilola is firmly entrenched as a day three selection at this point. Where exactly he lands on that last day will depend on how he tackles the pre draft process. There’s no questioning that the talent is worthy of that selection but a team will have to be comfortable with the developmental potential.

WHAT TO PROVE

While Ademilola did not receive the Senior Bowl invite that he was hoping for, he still has a chance to head out to Pasadena to participate in the NFLPA Bowl. These types of settings are made for players like him.

There will be a lot of chances to impress in the pass rush one-on-one sections of practice. NFL teams go bananas for interior pass rushers and if Ademilola can show that impact, he has a chance to rise.

Ademilola should also test well for his position. He should put on a nice show in Indianapolis if he is invited to the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. His athletic traits must grab the attention of evaluators.

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