Hakeem Adeniji

Hakeem Adeniji (born December 8, 1997) is an American football guard for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played in college at the University of Kansas. At Kansas, he was a two-time All-Big 12 selection, making the 1st team in 2019[1] and 2nd team in 2018.[2] He was drafted in the sixth-round (180th overall selection) of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Bengals.

Hakeem Adeniji
No. 77 – Cincinnati Bengals
Position:Guard
Personal information
Born: (1997-12-08) December 8, 1997
Garland, Texas
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:302 lb (137 kg)
Career information
High school:Garland
(Garland, Texas)
College:Kansas
NFL Draft:2020 / Round: 6 / Pick: 180
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 18, 2021
Games played:24
Games started:14
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

High school

Adeniji attended high school at Garland High School in Texas. In high school, he had initially committed to play at the United States Air Force Academy. However, he failed to receive a medical waiver to attend due to an allergy to cashews. After failing to receive the waiver, he committed to the University of Kansas.[3]

College career

As a freshman, Adeniji became a starter at tackle immediately, starting all twelve games. Throughout his college career, Adeniji showed durability, not missing a single game in his career due to injury. By the final game of his senior year, he had been on the roster for 48 games and started in all of them. In his junior and senior years, he helped pave the way for running back Pooka Williams Jr. to rush for over 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. For his efforts, he was named 2nd team All-Big 12 as a junior[2] and 1st team as a senior.[1]

Professional career

NFL Draft

Adeniji received an invite to the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine. He played tackle at Kansas, although NFL Analyst Lance Zierlein said he believed Adeniji may have to move to guard in the NFL.[4]

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard splitVertical jumpBroad jumpBench pressWonderlic
6 ft 4+3⁄8 in
(1.94 m)		 302 lb
(137 kg)		 33+3⁄4 in
(0.86 m)		 10 in
(0.25 m)		5.17 s1.78 s2.98 s34 in
(0.86 m)		9 ft 7 in
(2.92 m)		26 reps34
All values from NFL Combine[4]

2020

Adeniji was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 180th overall selection in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.[5] In week 8 of the 2020 season, Adeniji recorded his first career start at tackle. He helped the Bengals, who had allowed 28 sacks through 7 games, allow zero sacks in the game for the first time all season.[6] He finished his rookie season with five starts and played in fifteen games.

2021

Adeniji tore his pectoral muscle during offseason workouts and had season ending surgery to repair it in June 2021.[7] He was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list following the preseason.[8] He was activated on November 4, 2021.[9] In his first game back from injury, he made his sixth career start against the Cleveland Browns.[10] He would finish the season starting in and playing in nine games. He would also get the start for the Bengals in their postseason victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, which was the Bengals first playoff win in 31 years.

Personal life

His mother, Joke, was a television anchor in Nigeria before the family moved to the Dallas area. His brother, Moshood, played offensive line at Air Force.[11]

References
  1. "2019 All-Big 12 Football Awards Announced". Big12Sports.com.
  2. "2018 All-Big 12 football awards announced". 247Sports.com.
  3. "How an allergy led Hakeem Adeniji to the Kansas football team". Kansas.com.
  4. "Hakeem Adeniji draft profile". NFL.com.
  5. Chasen, Scott. "KU football's Hakeem Adeniji selected in 2020 NFL Draft". 247Sports.com.
  6. "Bengals vs Titans gamebook" (PDF). NFL.com.
  7. "Bengals OL Hakeem Adeniji to Miss Significant Time With Pectoral Injury". SI.com.
  8. "Bengals Reduce 2021 Roster To 53 Players". Bengals.com. August 31, 2021.
  9. "Bengals Make Four Roster Moves Ahead Of Week 9 Versus Cleveland". Bengals.com. November 4, 2021.
  10. "Pregame Notebook: Adeniji Continues To Impress Bengals With Looming Start At RG; Rookie DT Shelvin Active For NFL Debut". Bengals.com.
  11. Hobson, Geoff (April 25, 2020). "Sixth Round: Bengals Opt for Versatile Tackle". Cincinnati Bengals. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
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