Did the Indianapolis Colts outsmart everyone with Dayo Odeyingbo pick?

The Indianapolis Colts have certainly not been strangers to taking on injury-risk players in the 2021 offseason. They started things off by making a bold trade for former Philadelphia Eagles top draft pick Carson Wentz, whose notable injury history was perhaps the major reason for his decline over the past couple of seasons.

The Colts not only added Wentz and are believing he can keep them in contention in the AFC, but they are also banking on Eric Fisher — who is not yet fully healthy — to come in and protect his blind side as the starting left tackle. Fisher suffered an Achilles injury in the AFC Championship game and his absence was part of the reason for the Kansas City Chiefs borderline overcorrecting their offensive line woes from last year.

In addition to Wentz and Fisher, the Indianapolis Colts are banking on another player with an Achilles injury working out in a big way. That player is second-round pick Dayo Odeyingbo out of Vanderbilt.

Had he not suffered an Achilles injury, who knows how high this kid might have gone in the 2021 NFL Draft?

Did the Indianapolis Colts steal Dayo Odeyingbo?

If you asked casual NFL fans who Dayo Odeyingbo is, the majority of them probably wouldn’t have a clue. The Indianapolis Colts did not take a day three flier on this kid, though. He was the 54th overall pick in the draft and the Colts took him despite, at the time, still having obvious needs elsewhere on the roster, specifically at left tackle.

Odeyingbo has rare physical traits for the defensive end position, especially with his length and wingspan. Those physical traits consistently caused problems for opposing offensive linemen when Odeyingbo was at Vanderbilt causing havoc with 2021 undrafted free agent Andre Mintze.

Before they selected Michigan pass rusher Kwity Paye, the Colts had discussions — reportedly — about taking Odeyingbo with their first-round pick. That doesn’t come as a shock since the New Orleans Saints had a first-round grade on Payton Turner, who was not as widely beloved as Odeyingbo coming out, but perhaps somewhat similar in size and play style.

It could be that Odeyingbo’s inability to work out ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft worked as a blessing in disguise for the Indianapolis Colts, who clearly think very highly of him.

So what does this guy bring to the table?

It’s always interesting to look at players individually but with the Indianapolis Colts, it’s how Odeyingbo fits in the unit that is being assembled on the defensive front seven that is most intriguing.

Odeyingbo showed the versatility to play from the 0T (over the center) all the way out to the 5T (over the tackle) and that kind of versatility makes him a treat for defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus to work with.

The Colts obviously invested heavily last year in DeForest Buckner of the 49ers, who also has outstanding and rare traits in terms of his size on the defensive line.

Along with Buckner, Odeyingbo gives the Colts a pair of defensive linemen who can move all over the formation and cause serious problems with length, explosiveness, and effort.

The question opposing offensive coordinators will have to answer when facing that duo on the defensive front for the Colts is how do you account for both? You might be able to double-team one, but you can’t double-team both.

With the type of effort and hustle guys the Indianapolis Colts have brought in for their defensive front, including their top two picks this year in Odeyingbo and Kwity Paye, this is going to be a ferocious unit.

There was not a ton of pre-draft buzz for Odeyingbo, but the Indianapolis Colts seem to think they’ve got an outstanding value. Time will tell if they’re right, but there’s a lot to love about his fit.