Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager, Kevin Colbert, was one of several who spoke highly about Ola Adeniyi entering his second NFL season.
Ola Adeniyi was quite possibly the most exciting young player in a Steelers uniform last preseason. At 20-years old, he opened eyes with his 3.0 sacks and 2 forced fumbles, despite limited action last August.
At 6’1” and 248 pounds coming from the MAC, it didn’t take long for fans to compare him to another Steelers pass rusher who wore number 92.
Ola Adeniyi undeniably shares a lot of similarities with James Harrison. Though the comparisons may draw unrealistic expectations, there are many members of the organization speaking out on Adeniyi’s behalf.
General Manager, Kevin Colbert, was one of them. Here is what he had to say about Ola shortly after the 2019 NFL Draft, according to Tim Benz of TribLIVE:
"“We activated him, but he wasn’t going to be a contributor. I think that’ll be a difference. We always talk about players moving into their second season. We are excited about what he can do.”"
A hamstring injury to Ola resulted in him seeing action in just one game last season. But that didn’t stop teammates from expressing their high hopes for the former undrafted free agent.
T.J. Watt recently had this to say about Ola Adeniyi:
"“I think Ola is making some improvements. Just seeing him try new pass-rush moves. I think that’s the biggest thing for any pass-rusher is to try different moves this time of year because who cares if you fail? Just go out there and try as many moves as you can. I think Ola is doing a good job of that.”"
Still just 21 years old, Ola Adeniyi is entering his second season healthy and ready to make an impact for the Steelers. At Toledo, he raked in an eye-popping 20.0 tackles for a loss to go with 8.5 sacks in his Junior season before entering the NFL. Fans are hoping the success he had in college and during his first preseason with the Steelers will translate on the field early during the regular season for Pittsburgh.
It is still unclear how the Steelers intend to use Ola in 2019. But with Anthony Chickillo proving just 1.5 sacks backing up T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree, Adeniyi may have a chance to push him as the top rotational piece on the edge.
The Steelers passed on a chance to steal Chase Winovich in the third round this year. Perhaps Kevin Colbert and company think they already have the player they need in Ola Adeniyi.