Colts' Rookie DL Named 'Most Intriguing Project' By Bleacher Report
You've heard it before: if new Indianapolis Colts' defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo were healthy ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft, General Manager Chris Ballard might have drafted him in the first round.
Instead, Odeyingbo is working back from a torn Achilles suffered in January, but Ballard still swung early at the freakish defensive lineman, grabbing the Vanderbilt product in the second round in late April.
Now, with Odeyingbo in the fold, he's viewed as the Colts' most intriguing project ahead of the 2021 season, according to Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon.
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Odeyingbo, who likely won't be seen until midway through the 2021 season, could really swing things along the defensive line this season, barring health, due to his versatility and high ceiling.
Here's what Gagnon had to say about Odeyingbo as the Colts' most intriguing project.
Since they're in win-now mode, the Indianapolis Colts will expect rookie first-round pick Kwity Paye to play a significant role alongside veterans Tyquan Lewis and Kemoko Turay on the edge in 2021. But Indy also used a Day 2 selection on an edge defender who won't likely pay dividends until 2022 or beyond. The main reason Dayo Odeyingbo is a project? He suffered an Achilles injury training for the Senior Bowl in January and is unlikely to make a huge impact this year. But the 6'5", 285-pounder also needs to become stronger to hold up against pro-level offensive tackles, which is possible if he essentially redshirts in 2021 and focuses on building up his play strength. The lengthy, explosive Vanderbilt product put together an impressive four-year career in the best conference in college football. He had 5.5 sacks in eight games as a senior and could develop into a double-digit-sack guy in the NFL. It just won't happen overnight.
Odeyingbo is an explosive lineman with great length and power who can line up at defensive end or defensive tackle in the NFL, giving Colts' defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus a real chess piece in the trenches to pair with fellow rookie Kwity Paye and veteran defensive tackles DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart.
He's not that much of a projection as Gagnon makes him out to be, and doesn't truly need a redshirt season outside of the Achilles injury recovery timetable.
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We'll see soon exactly what his role is in the NFL under Eberflus, but this much is certain: the Colts grabbed a high-ceiling talent along the defensive line that could be a game wrecker in the NFL in Odeyingbo.
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