3 Winners of the 2023 NFL Combine the Arizona Cardinals should be excited for - Defense

3 - Adetomiwa Adebawore, DE/Northwestern

Northwestern’s football program has never been the greatest, but Adetomiwa Adebawore’s draft stock has been a hot topic all year, and his performance at the Combine solidified that. He ran a ridiculous 4.49 in the 40-yard-dash, before showing agility in position drills. You also shouldn’t let his 6’2 frame fool you - his arms measured at 33 ⅞, telling me he can match up against any offensive tackle the NFL has to offer. 

While  he wasn’t necessarily a sack artist during his time in college, the 282lb defensive lineman still liked to hangout in the backfield, logging 17.5 tackles behind the line in 2021 and 2022. He also had 74 combined tackles.  

Adebawore probably won’t develop into an elite defensive end. But he’s also one of those players who will give you sound performances game in and game out. Think Zach Allen, but a few notches above what Allen was when he first came into the league. 

Source: 2023 NFL Scouting Combine stock up/stock down, Day 1: Nolan Smith displays electric athleticism by Chad Reuter, NFL.com.

Source: 2023 NFL Scouting Combine stock up/stock down, Day 2: Oregon's Christian Gonzalez shines by Chad Reuter, NFL.com. 

(Prospect information also provided by Lance Zierlein, NFL.com. Statistics provided by Sports-Reference/CFB)