We’re a week out from the 2023 NFL draft, and things are beginning to settle for the New Orleans Saints at No. 29 overall. Almost any mock draft you check out has the Saints picking a defensive lineman — including this projection from Pro Football Focus analyst Mike Renner, who likes the Saints to select Northwestern Wildcats defensive lineman Adetomiwa Adebawore.
He points out that Adebawore is the sort of prospect New Orleans values highly, writing:
Adebawore is the type of long and explosive defensive lineman that Saints general manager Mickey Loomis has prioritized over his tenure. He has outside/inside versatility as well, and the Saints could use help at both.
Adebawore is underweight for a Saints defensive tackle at 6-foot-1.5 and 282 pounds, but his 33.8-inch arms and elite numbers in athletic testing project well to the NFL. If they can get his weight up to north of 290 pounds without sacrificing the agility that makes him so special, he’ll be a problem. The issue is that he’s all projection in that role. Northwestern lined him up at the edge of the line rather than along the interior, which he’s mainly been doing in pre-draft workouts and Senior Bowl practices — and doing it well, mind you.
So while Adebawore alone won’t cure what ails the Saints up front, he could go a long way towards finishing the reboot at defensive tackle. Having Khalen Saunders entrenched at nose tackle with Nathan Shepherd in the lineup next to him is a strong duo. Add Adebawore as a pass-rushing three-technique and bring another veteran in to push Malcolm Roach for that fourth roster spot and you’ve got something special brewing.
