223. Chidozie Nwankwo DT Colorado
Speaking of developmental prospects with intriguing athletic profiles, Chidozie Nwankwo out of Colorado fits that bill perfectly. Nwankwo is an undersized defensive tackle at just 5-foot-11 and 290 pounds but is one of the strongest pound-for-pound players in college football.
Nwankwo made Bruce Feldman’s 2023 Freaks List at No. 97 and Feldman wrote, “Nwankwo cleans 345 pounds, squats 625 and bench-pressed 435. He’s also wowed teammates by pulling two 400-pound chains across the Elmer Redd Sports Performance Center on campus”. The fifth-year senior transferred to Colorado from Houston in 2024 and was one of the Buffaloes’s better defensive players.
The concerns with Nwankwo are obvious but he has some intriguing ability as a stout defensive lineman that is strong enough to hold his own in the interior. He plays the game with a great motor and the right level of violence and could develop into a rotational defensive lineman on a team that is currently light on depth at the position.