Jayson Ademilola 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Background: 

• Enjoyed a major leap in production in 2021 with 8.0 tackles for loss (TFL)
• 2021 First-Team All-Independent honors (Phil Steele)

System: 

• Scheme tendencies: Aggressive even front defense (expected under Al Golden)
• 2022 projected role: Starting DT

Pros: The disruptive flashes here are really fun and set the table for a productive penetration player at the NFL level. I’m impressed by Jayson Ademilola’s nimble play and how well he converts power as a pass rusher—which is boosted by his natural leverage with a squatty build. He’s quick out the blocks and the Irish showed some willingness to move him around the front as a hybrid lineman. His pass-rush skill set projects well and I would expect his encore season in 2022 after a big boom in production puts him squarely on the map. He’s a bit of a non-traditional build, but if you draft him with your subpackage groups in mind, I think you get a clear picture of what his ceiling can be as he continues to grow and develop. It wasn’t lost on me either that some of his best reps and production came in the biggest games that the Irish played in 2021. I thought he was notably good in the Wisconsin and USC contests.

Cons: I am not overly confident in what the early-down role looks like for Jayson Ademilola unless he’s playing in a pure penetration front. But even then, I didn’t see the kind of functional strength and anchor ability to successfully and consistently play against the run. His power conversions are much more prevalent when he’s converting speed to power as a rusher or serving as a looper in games up front. I didn’t see a great deal of anatomical length to stack and deconstruct blocks, either—although, to be fair, I did think he used a long arm well to optimize his potential in this regard. He reminds me of Dre’Mont Jones of the Denver Broncos, who at this point has been a rotational player averaging somewhere between 60% of team snaps. That said, he’s been a productive pass rusher, so the vision for Ademilola just needs to match his strengths in order to ensure a good investment.

Jayson Ademilola NFL Draft Scouting Report by Kyle Crabbs