There's no such thing as a sure thing in the NFL draft, but there are certainly prospects who have a better chance to thrive at the next level.
While some of the top-rated players are coming off productive collegiate careers and possess skills that generally translate well to the pros, there are also plenty of potential first-round picks who could fail to make a successful leap.
Many of these prospects boast unteachable physical traits and otherworldly athleticism but generally haven't found a way to convert those tools into consistent on-field production.
It's easy to see why teams fall in love with such speculative talents, as they tend to have more potential than anyone else in their class. Drafting them is a high-risk, high-reward move for front offices willing to gamble.
With that in mind, here are the biggest boom-or-bust prospects expected to come off the board early in the 2023 draft:
Adetomiwa Adebawore, DL, Northwestern
Adetomiwa Adebawore had arguably the best combine of any of the 319 prospects who were invited to Indianapolis this year.
The 6'2", 282-pounder ran an incredible 4.49 second 40-yard dash, put up 27 reps on the bench press, leaped 37.5 inches vertically and performed a 10'5" broad jump.
It now remains to be seen if Adebawore can be more than a workout warrior when he gets his chance at the next level, which he certainly will after his showing at the combine.
The 22-year-old was able to do a bit of everything at Northwestern since arriving on campus back in 2019. He finished his career with the Wildcats having notched 97 tackles—including 24.5 for a loss—in addition to 12.5 sacks, six passes defended, four forced fumbles and an interception across 36 games.
Adebawore is far from perfect, however. He hasn't shown the ability to be a strong finisher and lacks the type of flexibility teams want in a pass-rusher. He's easily negated by double teams and has a lot of development to do on his edge-rushing arsenal considering he won't be able to rely on power as much in the NFL.
Adebawore will need to use his world-class athleticism to overcome the limitations of his size and become a force on a professional defensive line. He's also arguably too short to be a traditional edge defender and lacks the mass teams usually want from their interior linemen.
Factor in his limited block-shedding against the run, and it all adds up to Adebawore being both an intriguing and concerning prospect who could as easily become a star as he could quickly flame out of the league.
