By Wake Jatkins (The Crowd Assist Podcast)
Dayo Odeyingbo might be the best value at edge rusher in the 2021 NFL Draft. He’s projected to go in the late fourth/early fifth round (the Bills drafting him may require trading up), and it’s hard to find someone at his size who can be so versatile, especially on day three. And like Austin Watkins, he draws some comparisons to Josh Allen in his pre-draft analysis.
Raw, Athletic & Versatile
Odeyingbo fits the Sean McDermott mold of versatile defenders. In his time at Vanderbilt, he took snaps at defensive end (his primary position), 3tech, and nose tackle. His 6’ 5”, 276-pound frame makes him an absolute problem for offensive lines to handle. That, along with his gargantuan arm span. Draft scouts have maintained that Odeyingbo’s best football may be ahead of him due to how raw he is, something that was obviously also said of Josh Allen.
And like Josh Allen, a lot of the flaws in his game seem to come from his mechanics. He has difficulty maintaining leverage sometimes, which leads to some inconsistency in his pass-rushing. But if it’s mechanics that he needs fixing, there might not be a better coaching staff in the country at coaching up raw talent with mechanics issues. But luckily, the BIlls weren’t as bad at getting to the QB as they were at stopping the run last year, and run-stopping is arguably Odeyingbo’s biggest strength as a prospect right now.
By all accounts, the DL class as a whole is weak this year. One anonymous scout just yesterday said that this is the worst DT class he’s ever seen (but you can’t believe every “anonymous scout”). The top few guys have the potential to be decent starters on the defensive front, but all of them come with serious questions that limit their perceived ceilings. This is even true for Day 2 hopeful Dayo Odeyingbo.
Injury Concerns
Despite his versatility and unquestioned production at Vanderbilt, he is coming off a torn Achilles that he sustained while preparing for the 2021 NFL Draft in January, so his injury status for his rookie year is already questionable. That’s not ideal for someone who hasn’t even signed his entry-level contract yet. But if he was a first-round prospect that’d scare me off of him. As someone projected to go in round three (at the absolute earliest), the injury concerns aren’t a dealbreaker for me, especially given the Bills track record of successfully and efficiently rehabbing injuries under Head Coach Sean McDermott.
Yesterday I wrote about Austin Watkins Jr., and I cited the fact that the Bills don’t need a rookie WR to step into this lineup and produce. Well as it stands right now, you can’t say the same thing about the defensive line. A great young run stopper with upside as a pass rusher would be a great asset to them, but I have a hard time believing the Bills would pull the trigger on him unless 1.) they felt better about their depth at the position than fans do, 2.) they like what they hear from Odeyingbo’s doctors or 3.) they draft another edge rusher. I’m not against double-dipping in the draft at any position, so if the Bills like Odeyingbo enough to draft him, I’ll fully trust the process. Consider my jersey bought.
I do recognize that given the nature of his injury, Odeyingbo might be a better draft pick for a team with an established defensive line. There’s a non-zero chance he has a redshirt rookie season, so a unit that in the eyes of many needs immediate help like the Bills, this is a more risky selection, but one that could pay dividends if Dayo Odeyingbo successfully comes back from his injury.
Like I said though, it’s a 4th/5th round pick. Every draft pick becomes more of an educated guess as rounds pass. And I’m all about taking a gamble on Dayo with the first pick they have on day three. The ceiling is one of the highest in the draft for his position group.
Check out the first piece in this 2021 NFL Draft countdown series, where I took a look at a later round wider receiver who could be a developmental asset for the Buffalo Bills.
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