Dayo Odeyingbo – Page 6 – Syndication Server

Dayo Odeyingbo named Colts’ most intriguing project

The Human Hurricane has some real potential.

The Indianapolis Colts are excited about what rookie Dayo Odeyingbo can bring to the defensive line, but they know it will take some time before he’s ready to contribute regularly.

Because of the torn Achilles he suffered in January, the second-round pick likely won’t be ready for the start of the season. Even with that, Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report named Odeyingbo as the most intriguing project on the roster.

“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.”

The upside is real when it comes to Odeyingbo’s ceiling as a pass rusher. The Colts believe he can have a similar impact and role to that of Justin Tuck with the New York Giants over a decade ago. If the Colts get that kind of player, it will be a massive win.

It isn’t clear when Odeyingbo will return from Achilles rehab, but the Colts feel he will have a versatile role working both on the edge and the interior because of his size, length and burst off the snap.

First-rounder Kwity Paye may be getting all the love right now, but Odeyingbo has some real upside.

[lawrence-related id=59397,59391,59383]

Rookie impact meter for Colts’ 2021 draft picks

How impactful can the rookie class be?

The Indianapolis Colts came out of the 2021 NFL draft with seven selections and several high-upside prospects that have been adding to the roster in hopes of making an impact.

Some of these picks will make an impact quicker than others. Some may not even make an impact at all. It takes time for rookies to develop into clear starting roles if they ever get to that point, but some have quicker paths than others.

Using a 1-5 scale for predicting the impact for draft picks from the 2021 class, here’s how it will break down:

5: Full-time starter
4: Heavily in rotation, seeing large chunk of snaps
3: Rotational/depth player
2: Mostly special teams with limited or no snaps at position
1: Little to no impact or practice squad

Here’s a look at how much of an impact these rookies should be considered to make in 2021:

Colts see some Justin Tuck in Dayo Odeyingbo’s game

Colts see plenty of upside with Dayo Odeyinbgo.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbwdn1cy47y964q player_id=none image=https://coltswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

The Indianapolis Colts are willing to be patient for the potential payoff when it comes to rookie pass rusher Dayo Odeyingbo, who is currently rehabbing from an Achilles tear in January.

Throughout the pre-draft process, the Colts kept going back to watch Odeyingbo’s tape, and the Vanderbilt product quickly became a favorite for general manager Chris Ballard and director of scouting Morocco Brown.

Though they may have to wait a year while Odeyingbo gets healthy, Brown and the scouting department see some shades of former New York Giants pass rusher Justin Tuck in Odeyingbo’s game.

“During the draft process, the Colts’ director of scouting, Morocco Brown, compared Odeyingbo to Justin Tuck, a third-round pick of the Giants in 2005,” wrote The Athletic’s Zak Keefer following a media film session with Ballard. “Tuck became a mainstay on New York’s defensive line, racking up more than 60 sacks in nine seasons and helping them win two Super Bowls.”

It’s easy to see the comparison from Tuck to Odeyingbo. Both pass rushers are explosive and lengthy. They may not win with extreme bend while running the arc, but their skillset and versatility play well in an aggressive front.

It’s hard for Ballard to contain his excitement when it comes to the potential of Odeyingbo.

“I couldn’t be any more excited about a kid,” Ballard said via Keefer. “He’s still young, but he’s got a really unique skill set with his length, his body control. He’s also really grown up in his career. You like to see that maturation each year.”

The Colts didn’t believe Odeyingbo would make it out of the second round and given their questions about how many true left tackles were in the draft, this pick seemed to be pretty easy for Ballard.

If the Colts wind up getting a Tuck-like career from Odeyingbo, no one will remember having questions about the pick on draft night.

[lawrence-related id=58819,58816,58813]

Chris Ballard preaches patience with Dayo Odeyingbo

The time will come for Odeyingbo.

The Indianapolis Colts used their second-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft on defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo fully knowing they won’t get the full version of his skill set in 2021.

Ballard has never been a general manager who shies away from patience if they believe a player has a difference-making ceiling. When it comes to Odeyingbo, the Colts believe he has that kind of potential but also acknowledges the need for patience due to his Achilles rehab.

Zak Keefer of The Athletic wrote in his takeaways from the media film session that Ballard believes the payout with Odeyingbo could be huge.

“As for injury questions, he gets it. Ballard acknowledged the team probably ‘won’t see the real, 100 percent Dayo this year, because of the Achilles,” wrote Keefer. “But they do, without question, expect him to return and see snaps at some point in 2021, worst-case as a third-down rusher in the Colts’ nickel defense. November seems like a safe bet at this point, but there’s no guarantee.”

Odeyingbo brings plenty of length and explosiveness to the front. He must continue developing his counters as a pass rusher but the foundation is there athletically to where he can be a high-impact player depending on his role.

Having Odeyingbo line up opposite of first-round pick Kwity Paye is the plan for the Colts in 2022.

“More than anything with Odeyingbo, Ballard felt the payoff down the line would be worth it,” Keefer wrote. “Lining up him on the left and Paye on the right — the pair could become the face of the Colts’ pass rush for a long time in this city.”

Odeyingbo doesn’t have a timeline for his return from the Achilles tear he suffered in January, but they expect big things in 2022 from the Vanderbilt product.

[lawrence-related id=58793,58788,58785]

6 breakout candidates for Colts in 2021

Looking at potential breakout candidates for the Colts.

With a new NFL season comes new excitement for all 32 teams, including the Indianapolis Colts, who are a very different-looking team coming into the 2021 regular season.

With a new face of the franchise at quarterback in Carson Wentz, the Colts have a very young roster with only five players above the age of 30, which includes the recent signing of new left tackle Eric Fisher. With that youth movement comes room for this young talent to learn and grow improving on past seasons.

Here we have six young Colts who, with new starting positions up for grabs on both sides of the ball, have a great opportunity to make a statement, and solidify a bigger role on the roster for the coming year.

Contract details emerge for Colts DL Dayo Odeyingbo

Here is the rookie contract for Dayo Odeyingbo.

Despite bigger needs on the roster at the time, the Indianapolis Colts stuck to their board in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft to select defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo.

Though there were mixed reviews because of their need at offensive tackle and the fact that Odeyingbo is working his way back from a torn Achilles, the Colts feel they got a versatile and explosive piece to their defense.

Odeyingbo already signed his rookie contract, along with four other draft picks, last week. Per Over The Cap, here’s how it breaks down:

The No. 54 overall pick signed a four-year deal worth $6.18 million with $3.45 million guaranteed. That guaranteed money is split between his $1.852 million signing bonus and his guaranteed base salary for the first two seasons.

Odeyingbo won’t be making an impact for the Colts likely until the second half of the season gets underway. He tore his Achilles in January, which means he’s likely headed for the PUP list. Maybe he comes back sooner, but the Colts aren’t going to rush him.

The Colts have high expectations for Odeyingbo despite his Achilles injury, and it will be exciting to finally get him on the field when he’s ready to return.

[lawrence-related id=58722,58703,58698]

Ranking Colts’ rookies by potential impact in 2021

Which rookies will make the biggest impact in 2021?

Though the Indianapolis Colts have a deep roster on both sides of the ball, they are always expecting to get some significant snaps out of their rookie class.

The group is made up of seven selections from the 2021 NFL draft and initially five undrafted free agents. How much of an impact the group as a whole will make remains to be seen, but there are a number of rookies who can crack the starting lineup relatively soon.

Here, we rank the Colts’ rookies by potential impact in 2021:

NFL exec: Colts set up nicely with Kwity Paye, Dayo Odeyingbo

NFL execs sound off on the Colts’ draft.

The Indianapolis Colts have gotten mixed reviews about their 2021 draft class—from the outside—but the team feels they grabbed some cornerstone pieces in pass rushers Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo.

The upside is tremendous with those two picks and some NFL executives believe the Colts have set themselves up nicely if the pairing can hit their ceilings, per Mike Sando of The Athletic.

“In a draft with not a whole lot of defensive linemen, they got two pretty good ones that should be able to set them up for the next several years,” an exec told The Athletic.

The selection of Paye is an easy one for analysts and fans to see as a positive for the Colts. His upside, character and athleticism will fit perfectly into what the Colts have going on with their defensive front.

The selection of Odeyingbo caused a bit of stir in that most analysts wanted the Colts to reach for a tackle. But seeing as he was the highest player on their board at the time, it’s easy to see why the Colts wanted to make sure they grabbed him without the benefit of having a third-round pick.

“That’s a lot of investment in that position and, really, how many of them have panned out?” an exec told The Athletic. “Dayo can be a really good player if he gets healthy. Long, big, athletic guy, could have been a first-rounder if he didn’t have the Achilles. He might be a guy that needed a year of development anyway.”

The Colts certainly feel strongly about their picks in the draft and like every NFL team, they aren’t worried about the opinions outside of the building.

But the Colts certainly have plenty of upside in these first two picks, especially if Odeyingbo can come back without having lost any of his explosiveness.

[lawrence-related id=58549,58545,58543]

Colts sign 5 draft picks to rookie contracts

Colts sign five of their seven draft picks.

The Indianapolis Colts signed five of their seven selections from the 2021 NFL draft to rookie contracts, the team announced Thursday.

Among those rookies that signed include defensive end Kwity Paye, defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo, safety Shawn Davis, wide receiver Mike Strachan and offensive lineman Will Fries.

Paye is the first first-round pick to sign his rookie contract from the 2021 NFL draft.

The Colts rarely have any rookies hold out of their contracts and if there are any hold-ups, it’s typically due to the language of the contract.

The other two rookies who have yet to sign their rookie contracts are fourth-round tight end Kylen Granson and sixth-round quarterback Sam Ehlinger.

[lawrence-related id=58474,58468,58465]

Grading all 7 picks in the Colts’ 2021 draft class

Grading the draft class.

The Indianapolis Colts concluded the 2021 NFL draft with seven picks by the end of the weekend, hoping to find some new impact players on both sides of the ball.

We will just get this out of the way. Draft grades are as useless The Vision was in “Avengers: Infinity War.”

They don’t mean anything in the grand scheme of things and because these players haven’t even stepped on an NFL field yet, it’s all projection. On top of that, it’s subjective to the writer based on their views of the value relative to team needs and how they felt about other prospects on the board.

But with that said, here’s how we graded the Colts’ draft class in 2021: