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INDIANAPOLIS – The length, the size, the power—that combination had the Colts scouting staff in a bit of awe watching Dayo Odeyingbo.

Director of College Scouting Morocoo Brown coined the nickname that Odeyingbo hopes sticks.

Hurricane Dayo.

Yeah, the big man likes the sound of that.

“I definitely see where the name comes from and I’d definitely like to live up to it,” Odeyingbo says.

“I think that’s a solid way to describe the way I play. That’s something I bring to the game. I like the name, so I hope it sticks. I’m excited to get out there and let the hurricane loose.”

When that exactly will happen remains to be seen.

Odeyingbo’s goal is to play in 2021. But he knows that a torn Achilles back in January complicates what his rookie campaign might look like.

The torn Achilles occurred out in California during training for the Senior Bowl.

As Odeyingbo was going through some drills, he planted wrong and went down to the ground.

The injury certainly pushed Odeyingbo down draft boards, but not far enough for the Colts to pass on another defensive end.

“We thought (Odeyingbo) was a first-round talent,” Chris Ballard says. “It’s hard to pass up a guy that you have that high even with the circumstances with the injury.”

Odeyingbo’s plan is to rehab now in Indianapolis, with the hope to play at some point in 2021.

Whenever that final hurdle is cleared, the Colts view Odeyingbo as a left defensive end with the ability to play all over the defensive line.

At 6-6 and 276 pounds, with a freaky-long wingspan (86 3/8 inches), Odeyingbo is a guy that should play out on the edge on earlier run downs, before sliding inside to rush the passer.

“I kind of just call myself a defensive lineman,” the Vanderbilt product says. “I play on the defensive line, all across it. Nine to zero (technique), it doesn’t matter where I need to be and I think that’s kind of what adds to my game, is being able to line up in most positions. I really wouldn’t classify myself in one box. I think kind of leaving that open has been a big part of my success in the past and what has gotten me to this point.”

“In college, I got asked to do everything. I rushed from a 9-technique to a 0-technique and everything in between. I did it pretty consistently at each position. So I think each of them have their own perks and their own differences and I enjoy them all in their own way. I really just like being on the field, like being able to be disruptive and get after quarterbacks, get after the ball carrier.”

As the Colts watched more and more of Odeyingbo in the draft process, they became enamored with how such a prospect would look in their defense.

If it works out, the Colts have now found their defensive ends of the future, re-building a critical spot to their football team.

And possibly a new nickname.

“A big part of my game is kind of my physical attributes and trying to impose my will on other players,” Odeyingbo says. “I definitely feel like I bring that physicality to my game and I think that kind of physicality and motor shows up on my tape and that kind of relentlessness. So yeah, I definitely think I fit that build and I will be a great addition to this franchise.”

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