He set a new NFL Combine record. How life has changed for KC’s Adebawore since

A workout partner told him to look at the video board. And Adetomiwa Adebawore couldn’t believe he saw.

Adebawore, a Kansas City native and NFL defensive line prospect from Northwestern, had just run a 4.54-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this month at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Or so he thought.

He had transitioned to other position drills that day when he was told to look up. Next to his name showed his official time in the 40-yard dash: 4.49 seconds.

It was the fastest time — ever — by a player weighing 270 pounds or more at the event.

“Unbelievable. I don’t have a lot of words,” Adebawore said of hitting 4.49 in an interview last week with The Star — the first of a series checking in with him ahead of the NFL Draft. “Even me to this day, every time I go check my name and then see that as my official time, it’s just kind of insane to me.”

Just as astounding has been the response following his feat.

NBC’s Peter King — considered one of the nation’s top NFL writers — cited Adebawore as a rising player that week in a column. NFL Network’s Peter Schrager called Adebawore the biggest winner of the Combine’s first day, while national radio host Jim Rome reached out for an extended interview.

“It’s truly a blessing to get that media exposure,” Adebawore said. “I’m trying not to let that get to me, because there’s still a whole bunch of things I have to do.”

Adebawore’s football story figures to complete a full-circle arc next month.

He was born in Kansas City after his parents came to the United States from Nigeria in the 1990s. And though he didn’t start football early, Adebawore remembers a middle-school basketball coach commenting that he was playing the wrong sport with his body type and physicality.

Adebawore laughed it off then, but took to football after joining a weight-lifting program his freshman year at North Kansas City High School. Most of those lifting buddies were football players, so transitioning to the new sport was a natural progression.

The 6-foot-2, 282-pound defensive lineman went on to play collegiately at Northwestern before learning that the 2023 NFL Draft would be at Union Station in Kansas City — a spot about 15 minutes from his childhood home.

“Obviously in my head, I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s my goal right there,’” Adebawore said. “’I want to be drafted in Kansas City, in my hometown.’”

Adebawore (his full name is pronounced add-ee-TOMMY-wah add-ee-BAR-eh; he also goes by “Tomi” for short) faces an important milestone this week.

Northwestern’s Pro Day is Tuesday, and Adebawore plans to complete the shuttle run, three-cone drill, bench press and position drills. Adebawore had 27 bench-press reps of 225 pounds at the Combine — a “good number,” he said — but believes he can improve this week. He’s also set up a fund-raiser with his bench-press performance, looking to raise funds for sickle cell disease awareness while supporting one of his childhood friends.

Meanwhile, the shuttle and three-cone drills he didn’t do at the Combine are a chance to display even greater versatility.

“Just to show I’m not just a linear athlete, but I’m also a lateral athlete. I can change directions very well,” Adebawore said. “So I’m just excited to just keep showing everything I can do.”

Adebawore’s draft stock started rising since he was named his team’s defensive lineman of the week at last month’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.

He hopes his effort there and at the Combine solidified what NFL teams can expect from him.

“The Senior Bowl is a week you have to show up. You can’t be sick. You can’t be hurting. You only get one opportunity, and then I showed up. Combine, you only get one opportunity, and I showed up,” Adebawore said. “So I’m trying to prove to teams that not only can I do these things, but every time when the moment’s big, I’m showing up every time. I think I’ve done that twice now.”

Adebawore said feedback from NFL teams at the Combine was relatively consistent. Most liked how he performed as an interior pass-rusher, while his role in the run game could depend on the team that selects him. Depending on the scheme and fit, Adebawore could be asked to add weight or shift most of his focus to becoming an edge player.

The Philadelphia Eagles, meanwhile, unexpectedly tested him there. Adebawore said in their formal interview with him, coaches asked him to step toward a line and attempt a few shots on a mini-basketball goal.

Adebawore, with a laugh, reported that he was able to make a few.

His next opportunity to impress NFL teams will be Tuesday, where Adebawore can display some athletic gifts that helped move him to the first round in a few recent mock drafts.

He opened the most eyes, however, with his 40-yard performance in Indianapolis.

While displaying unmatched speed for someone his size.

“I think people kind of had an idea I was athletic, but I really didn’t think people thought I was that athletic,” Adebawore said. “So I just wanted to showcase what type of athleticism that you’re definitely gonna get on your team.”