Steelers LB Ola Adeniyi the early star of training camp

On offense, all the talk about the Pittsburgh Steelers during training camp has centered on wide receiver Diontae Johnson. But on defense, the hype surrounding linebacker Ola Adeniyi is real. Local writers have raved about his performance so far, especially in backs-on-backers drills. Even national writer Gil Brandt is saying he hears Adeniyi is practically unblockable.

It is hard to avoid the parallels between Adeniyi and former Steeler James Harrison. Both guys joined the team as undrafted free agents and their physical stature and play style are very similar.

Adeniyi is in a near-perfect situation going into training camp this year. After wowing everyone last season during training camp and the preseason, Adeniyi spent the bulk of the regular season on injured reserve. But Adeniyi is back to full health and with T.J. Watt on the PUP list has a golden opportunity to carve himself a spot on the depth chart.

In terms of competition, the guy Adeniyi has to beat out is Anthony Chickillo. The veteran is a special teams ace but has never had much success as a pass rusher. With Bud Dupree in the final year of his contract, Adeniyi has a chance to use 2019 as a springboard for a starting job in 2020.

Ola Adeniyi seemed to come out on top for today. He faced three different RBs and ended the period going against Benny Snell three times. Coach Tomlin said of his one rep vs. the rookie, “man, that’s awesome.”

— Missi Matthews (@missi_matthews) July 28, 2019

After the backs on backers session, one clear winner was Ola Adeniyi who won most of his matchups.

— Joe Rutter (@tribjoerutter) July 28, 2019

My scouts in Pittsburgh keep raving about LB Ola Adeniyi, undrafted in 2018 out of Toledo. He's picked up where he left off last year when he led Steelers in preseason sacks before going on IR. Nobody can block him. Ran 4.83 at pro day with 26 lifts, but nothing else stood out.

— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) July 29, 2019