NFL Draft: Discussing the Dallas Cowboys’ Scouting Combine Interviews
![INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 01: Coaches and scouts from NFL teams time Damien Harris of Alabama as he runs the 40-yard dash during day two of the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 1, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 01: Coaches and scouts from NFL teams time Damien Harris of Alabama as he runs the 40-yard dash during day two of the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 1, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/4df12361192a2681eef462f6e715138141c39be7b1c95d17fb76acac5127bb0c.jpg)
Kansas OL Hakeem Adeniji
Adeniji is from Garland, Texas and was a player I covered in a previous article discussing the draft prospects from the DFW area. However, that is what makes this formal interview interesting. With the Cowboys having a unique opportunity to meet players from the DFW area on Dallas Day, they still went ahead and conducted a formal interview with the former Jayhawk. (Dallas Day is part of the reason why the Cowboys didn’t feel like doing a formal interview with DT Justin Madubuike)
Adeniji has a good frame at 6-foot-4, 302 pounds. While he could look to add some good weight to his body, he possesses 33 3/4 arms and 10 inch hands that will have offensive line coaches drooling. He even tested okay running the 40-yard dash in 5.17 seconds, bench pressing 225 pounds 26 times, vertically jumping 34 inches, and broad jumping 115 inches.
Adeniji showcased some natural explosiveness and strength from his combine workout. While the strength is very evident on tape, the explosiveness isn’t as much. Adeniji is fairly slow out of his stance and his pass sets lacked variety which probably had more to do with his lateral quickness and explosion than anything else.
However, for his athletic concerns, when a defender made contact with his Adeniji’s hands the defender was on the ground… a lot.
Much like Pittman, Adeniji is not expected to be a Day 1 pick; he will probably find himself drafted in the third round or on day three of the draft. For a team in need of some defensive help, selecting an offensive player who would be sitting behind two Pro-Bowl tackles is not a great use of assets especially if it’s with a top 100 pick hence making this interview so peculiar?
Perhaps something interesting is going to happen in free agency?