Jayson Ademilola NFL Draft Scouting Report

IDL, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame defensive lineman Jayson Ademilola projects as a developmental subpackage pass rusher in the NFL. Ademilola has been a productive player for the Irish in a rotational role inside, but in assessing his strengths as a player, he’s likely best suited to be a specialist who gathers a very pass-specific role in an NFL defense. 

Originally a 4-star recruit, Ademilola played his high school football for St. Peter’s Prep High School in Jersey City, New Jersey. He received offers from schools such as Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, and Michigan before committing to Notre Dame. He and his twin brother, Justin, both went on to play five seasons for the Irish from 2018 to 2022. 

The disruptive flashes here are promising and set the table for who I think is capable of being in the NFL with more growth. I’m impressed by Ademilola’s nimble play and how well he converts to 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. He’s capable of attacking you vertically up the field or as a slasher who can cross your face and turn a corner if he gains hip-to-hip alignment. His pass-rush skill set projects to the next level because of his first step and he’s active with his hands to try to bull or collapse as a way to parry off of that initial charge. Ademilola’s build is a bit non-traditional, 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. He’s developed into a bit of a closer over the last two years, illustrating a boom in production as a penetration player who has found ways to finish plays and really turn up the heat. 

That said, I am not overly confident in what the early-down role looks like for Ademilola unless he’s playing in a pure penetration front. I haven’t seen the kind of functional strength and anchor ability to successfully and consistently play against the run, leaving him without a lot of growth potential in my eyes unless you dramatically change his frame and risk his athleticism. 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 as compared to challenging short sets in close quarters. 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.

Expectations for Ademilola should be that he requires continued development in order to grow into a prominent NFL role. As is, he’s an undersized interior pass rusher who offers nimble athleticism and could fulfill a similar job for an NFL defense. He’d be well served to find a special teams role to fulfill additional value to ensure a roster spot. 

Top Reasons to Buy In:

• Penetration skills could offer value on passing downs

• Impressive motor and effort down to down
• Natural leverage built into his frame to aid effort at point of attack

Top Reasons For Concern:

• Functional strength to play inside is in question

• True pass-rush counter menu could use refinement
• Block deconstruction skills are high variance and appear limited

Size (TBD):

Height: 6030

Weight: 280 lbs

Wingspan: TBD

Arm Length: TBD

Hand Size: TBD

Athletic Testing (TBD):

40-yard Dash: TBD

Vertical Jump: TBD

Broad Jump: TBD

Short-Shuttle: TBD

Three-Cone: TBD

Bench Reps: TBD 

Ideal Role: Subpackage pass rusher

Scheme Fit: Multiple front, penetration-based defense

Prospect Comparison: Jason Strowbridge (2020 NFL Draft)

TDN Consensus Grade: 66.00/100 (Seventh-Round Value)

• Crabbs Grade: 66.00/100

Written By: Kyle Crabbs

Exposures: Oklahoma State (2021), Ohio State (2022), North Carolina (2022), BYU (2022), USC (2022)

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