Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Dayo Odeyingbo Player Profile with 247Sports' Robbie Weinstein

Episode Date: May 7, 2021

On today's episode, Evan is joined by 247Sports' Vanderbilt beat writer Robbie Weinstein to continue our Indianapolis Colts rookie player profile series on second-round pick Dayo Odeyingbo. Covering Odeyingbo up-close in Nashville, Weinstein provides an interesting viewpoint on how he will fit in Indy.With how excited the Colts are to bring Odeyingbo on board, this is a great preview to get an inside look on how he performed at Vanderbilt.Make sure to tune in, and don't miss out on our rookie player profile series continuing next week on the rest of Indy's 2021 draft class! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello everybody, welcome back into another episode of Locked On Colts, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Today's always your host, Evan Sattery, joined by Robbie Weinstein. He's covered the Vanderbilt Commodores over the last year or so, and he's done some great work over there for 24-7 Sports. He also went to school at Vandy.

Robbie, how are you doing today? I'm good. Thanks for having me. This is, you know, it was a little bit more interesting of an NFL draft than I expected because Dio went higher than I thought. I'm sure Colts you had a chance to watch the With the Next Pick series at the Colts drop last night, Riley, but it seems like the Colts, especially GM Chris Bauer, are in love with Dio O'Dangbo and his potential in the NFL. He has super long arms. Like, the traits are off the charts with him.

From covering him this last year, I know it was a COVID year, so really couldn't get much, like, in-person access with him. But what was it like watching Dio kind of, like, come into his own this past year and really make some noise for himself? Well, he really did everything that they could have hoped, I think. He, you know, I mean, he had a productive four-year career for sure. But, you know, the one thing that was kind of the missing piece heading into his senior season 2020 was, I think he had two and a half career sacks over his first three seasons. He was playing a lot his first three seasons, even as a true freshman, I believe,

you know, he played some snaps. And I think he started maybe as a sophomore, and if not, certainly played a lot. So, you know, he really didn't produce in terms of sacks. But, you know, I think he stepped it up as a senior, five and a half sacks in eight games. And, you know, I think he stepped it up as a senior. He had five and a half sacks in eight games. And, you know, not very much talent around him on the Vanderbilt defensive line. You know, the line was the strength of their defense for sure. But at the same time, you know, he didn't have a ton of support. And every game was against an SEC opponent, right, with no non-conference games. You can't batten up against an FCS team or whoever else, Middle Tennessee State. So, you know, five and a half sacks,

I think he was disruptive as usual, you know, in the run game and put some really impressive plays on tape. You know, like for instance, the one that has been shown a lot against Mississippi State where he kind of like got tripped up by, I think, a running back trying to block him and basically got off – you know, got up off his butt and found a way to get the sack. So he – you know, I think he took a big step forward and he could have been a first-round pick, to be honest, if he had not gotten hurt. Yeah, and that's the thing with Dio. When you go back and watch the tape of his games this past year,

which I've been doing the last couple of days, obviously the traits are off the church. You see just how long his arms are even watching the games. But a lot of what you see too is he's being double-teamed, maybe sometimes even triple-teamed because he's got the dominant force out there. And I rarely saw games where he saw true one-on-one action. I feel like he would have put up even better numbers if that was the case. Just based off the defense with Vanderbilt, it seems like Dyer really kind of was a tier above

everyone else. Yeah, yeah, that's fair. The other defensive end, Andre Mintz, was a good player. So he went undrafted and signed with the Broncos. But the defensive tackles were not, you know, I mean, like they were fine in the run game, but they were not disruptors at all. The past game, you didn't have to worry about them in pass protection. And then the linebacker production was non-existent. So that's not a lot of, you know, the only other, you know, really like guy who can change a game at all on the Vanderbilt defense was on the opposite side of the line as Dio. And so the guys around them, you know, the other offenses, the opposing offenses didn't really have to account for them that much. So yeah, absolutely. Like you said, I can't, I mean, when's the last time,

I can't remember when the last time is that he got, you know, significant one-on-one opportunities, maybe like in 2018, because even in 2019 2019 their defensive line was really thin actually a worse unit in 2019 than in 2020 even though they won three games that year so yeah you have to evaluate you know I think in some ways it's like evaluating you know I guess like an FCS prospect or something certainly he's playing against really good competition there's no question about that. But it's all about figuring these guys out within the context of the team

that they're in. So maybe he wasn't first-team All-SEC. Maybe people didn't know about him as much because he didn't play for Alabama. But he's got the talent, and I don't think there's any questioning that. He was a really good player. What's one game this past year when you went back and watched where you're like, Whoa, like Dio is certainly an NFL prospect, but this is the one game where he thought like he truly took over this game

and really helped Vanderbilt either in a win or loss situation. But then the game where he thought to yourself, like what's the first one from this past year comes to mind when you think of Dio and his potential future in the NFL. Yeah, well, looking through the game logs, the one that stands out is his final game against Mizzou. He had three tackles for loss and two sacks in that game. That's honestly not the one, when I think back, that really stands out to me. I'd say probably either Mississippi State or South Carolina, because I remember there were a couple games, I think maybe the South Carolina one was one of those, where, like, he just went nuts in the first half.

And, you know, the offenses adjusted and, you know, did their best to take him out of the game after that. But it almost felt like at times that it was, you know, like one on 11 or something. Like he was really tough to account for. And he was kind of keeping Vanderbilt's defense, you know, like one on 11 or something like he was, he was really tough to account for. And he was kind of keeping Vanderbilt's defense, you know, the head above water. And obviously it never worked out. They lost every game, but there were multiple moments where that really stood out. I think, you know, the Mississippi state one would be a good example

because that was actually a close game. It was a low scoring game and he kind of And he kind of stood out in a game that didn't have a ton of NFL prospects on either side. It was kind of like, oh, that guy's a dude. He really looks the part. BetOnline is a fast and easy way to bet on all your sports action. Baseball scenes in full swing. You're going to check out all the action over at BetOnline. This week has tons of action on the go you're going to want to check out as well.

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with key ingredients to help you get back in shape absolutely free. Text DRAFT to 231231. That's DRAFT to 2312-231. That's DRAFT to 231-231. Messing data rates may apply. Yeah, Dio certainly, like you mentioned, looks the part. And from what I saw, and this is something that Chris Bauer brought up multiple times after drafting Dio and that What's the Next Pick series the Colts put out last night on their YouTube channel, just his traits are off the

charts for a defensive lineman from what I was able to read and look up Dio's 86 and 3 8 inch wingspan is the longest range defensive lineman currently in the NFL but it just seems like for a guy his size 6'5 270 with that type of length like a lot of what I saw too on tape too Robbie was he played a lot inside too like he could, he could go inside, outside, left side, right side. He was kind of like a Swiss Army knife for that Vanderbilt defensive line where they really can line him up anywhere and he can really do some work. Yeah, 2019 at the end of the season, they had a bunch of injuries, and the depth already wasn't really very good on the defensive line before that.

I mean, against Tennessee in the last game, they had plays where they were playing two defensive linemen at a time, basically, the depth already wasn't really very good on the defensive line before that. I mean, against Tennessee in the last game, they had plays where they were playing two defensive linemen at a time, basically. And he was, he was one of them and he was playing, you know, effectively as a defensive tackle. I think he can do that. He, he might even be up to 280 or 285 at this point. He's really strong. I mean, so I haven't seen him up close in person in a while, but I can't imagine that there's very much bad weight on that frame. That's interesting, you know, when you mentioned the wingspan being, like,

the longest of any, you know, defensive lineman in the NFL or whatever. I didn't know that, but, you know, I think if he is able to get over and get past the injury, I feel like he's a pretty safe pick in that he has all the traits you're looking for. There's no, you know, there's just not a lot of, like, I don't know what you would single out as the weakness in his prospect profile. Does he become like a pro bowler? I don't know. But, you know, pretty high character guy. You know, there's no, like, not a lot of risk. All of the risk is with the injury. It's a big risk, but at least this isn't the NBA

where you're jumping up and down constantly. It's going to be really interesting to see how he comes back from that, but that's the one concern, I think. I think if he is able to get past that, then you'll have a quality, you know, defensive lineman with some versatility for eight years, ten years, or whatever. Because I just don't see a lot of gaping holes, either on the football field or off the field. Looking at Dio, he was a team captain this past year for Vanderbilt. From what I've read, a great leader, just has the leadership and character traits

that the Colts really do love in draft prospects. From speaking to Dio either on Zoom or speaking to his coaches or teammates about him, what have you gathered about just Dio off the field and on the field just from a leadership standpoint? Well, you know, I wouldn't expect him to be, and nobody would expect, the Colts have plenty of good players already

who have been in the league for a while. So I wouldn't expect him to be and nobody would expect the Colts have plenty of good players already who have been in the league for a while so I wouldn't expect him to you know be some kind of leader for them anytime soon to be honest he was a team captain but the locker room uh was totally broken last season and I think he has to take some responsibility for that to be honest I don't think that's you know it's hard to say that that's his fault like the team didn't win any games and when that happens people are going to be upset, but he's a really quiet kid. To be honest, I don't think he was an effective captain, but I don't think that means anything. They didn't have any vocal leaders and that's not his problem. So he's quiet. He is kind of determined, very good kid. I'm sure he's very intelligent. I mean, he, you know, got through Vanderbilt with no issues.

So I think in terms of character and all that sort of stuff, he really would pass with flying colors, you know, A+. Is he going to be the guy who's giving the speech in the locker room, you know, when you're down by a touchdown at halftime five years from now? No, I don't think he will be, but you can get other guys to do that. Yeah, absolutely. From the character standpoint, obviously it was a senior bowl invite before he tore his Achilles.

And like you mentioned before, Robbie, that Achilles injury is a little worrisome. I imagine the Colts, I think they've kind of hinted at this a little bit since drafting Dio, that he's probably going to be a redshirt this year for his rookie season. He might play maybe in the last month or two of the season, but I think they're going to take it pretty slow with his recovery. They have a lot of depth on the defensive lines.

They won't need him right away, but the potential is obviously immense with the guy with the traits of Dio Odengbo. But last few points here, Brooke, was at the show, Robbie. What do you think about Dio Odengbo's fit with the Annapolis Colts in their defensive line? They drafted Quiddie Paye out of Michigan in the first round, a super bendy edge rusher.

They have DeForest Buckner in the middle defensive line, one of the best defensive tacklers in the NFL. And you have Darius Linder, one of the best linebackers in the NFL, cleaning up behind them. From a fit standpoint, Robbie, I feel like this fit in Indy might be the best spot for Dyer to really reach his potential with all those guys surrounding him. Yeah, yeah.

I mean, he didn't have that advantage for sure. So I kind of wonder if he gets healthy and he has these really talented players around him, you know, maybe that can really even unlock his potential further. I didn't expect the Colts to draft him because like you said, you know, I figured since they took Quiddy Paye in the first round, I just kind of figured they weren't going to go with, you know, basically another defensive end. But, you know, to Chris Ballard's credit, I don't think those guys

really do play the same position if you look at it closely. Because, you know, Pei is a kind of a true edge guy. And, you know, maybe some people could have even seen him as sort of, you know, outside linebacker-ish type of guy, whereas Dio is, you know, he can be a defensive end, but he can legitimately play defensive tackle quite a bit, I think, at the NFL level, especially maybe, you know, a couple of years from now once he adjusts to the professional game. So, I mean, I think his fit is really good. He is a low-maintenance guy, so he will fit culturally for sure

and in the locker room. And then on the field, I think the thing is, he's kind of like that 3 and D basketball player who would fit on any team because he could play a lot of different roles. He'll do so happily. He won't complain. He'll put in great effort. I think he can succeed at a lot of different spots on the defensive line.

So I think fit-wise, you know, as long as he gets healthy and still has I think fit-wise, you know, as long as he gets healthy and still has his burst and all that, you know, not a lot of questions from that standpoint because you can really sort of build that defensive line around him where, you know, regardless of whether he's the best player or not, he can fit with various different types of players, and that frees you up to, you know, in the future

in terms of the draft or free agency, you can just take the best player available to you, if that makes sense. Robbie, last one for you. I really appreciate the time today, man. Just any final points we haven't discussed or anything you want to hammer home to the Colts fans listening out there about Dai Odenbo and what the Colts are getting in this prospect? Well, you know, think um it's it's interesting it is so dangerous I think to take a

a player who tore his Achilles in the second round um especially for like a defensive lineman I would think but you know I think in terms of the upside you know it was a worthy upside play in terms of that I I heard from a really good source that the Falcons had him graded as a first round talent. Now, of course, they were picking up at number four. So, I mean, unless, you know, even if he hadn't gotten hurt, it's not like they probably were going to trade into the first round to get him. But point being, you know, I do think there's a scenario where if he didn't get hurt, he really could have gone in the first round, even though his name wasn't out there as much. He is, I think he's a little bit on the young side.

Like, he didn't redshirt at Vandy, so he was a regular four-year player. So, I mean, he's got a lot of upside remaining. He's got a lot of good years in front of him. And, you know, if you would pick a guy who can recover from an injury like that effectively, you'd pick someone like him who doesn't have any bad weight, who's a really good natural athlete, and is a hard worker. So, you know, if anyone can come back from that, I think it's him. And definitely, you know, a lot of the draft is about upside. And I do think he brings quite a bit of that. Built Bar has nine delicious flavors. When you talk to a Built Bar fan,

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the football, everything for the Vanderbilt Athletics. Go ahead and follow Robbie on Twitter, at RWWeinstein. He does great stuff for 24-7 Sports over there. Robbie, I appreciate the time today, man. I really enjoyed talking about dial with you. Yeah, thanks for having me. It's going to be interesting to see what he does and follow his career, even if he doesn't play much this season. I will be fascinated to see what happens for him over the next 18 months or so.