When the Colts chose Dayo Odeyingbo in the second round of the 2021 draft, they did so with an eye toward the future.
Odeyingbo tore his Achilles while training for the Senior Bowl in January. While he’s said his goal is to play during the 2021 season, there’s no guarantee he’ll be healthy enough to do so.
Still, one of Odeyingbo’s veteran teammates can see his potential. Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and Odeyingbo have similar body types and playing styles. Buckner said this week that he’s looking forward to mentoring Odeyingbo on the field once he’s healthy.
“Definitely have a similar build, having length is really good at our position, being able to get that extension off an offensive lineman, and seeing him, it definitely kind of reminded me of myself a little bit from back in college,” Buckner said, via Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star. “He plays with a lot of effort, and I love that because I’m the same way. He goes out there, balls to the wall, and I’m excited for when he gets healthy, I can get hands-on.”
Buckner earned first-ream All-Pro distinction for his 2020 season with Indianapolis. he had 9.5 sacks, a pair of forced fumbles, 10 tackles for loss, and 26 quarterback hits in his debut year with the Colts.
Odeyingbo was a second-team All-SEC honoree in 2020, making 5.5 sacks and 8.0 tackles for loss as a senior in 2020.