Kansas football: Top five former Kansas Jayhawks in the NFL

No. 5: Hakeem Adeniji: (2016-2019) OT, Cincinnati Bengals

Coming in at No. 5 is Hakeem Adeniji, an offensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals. Although Chiefs fans may not be delighted about seeing a Bengal on this list, Adeniji has made himself into a solid NFL player.

Adeniji garnered some impressive achievements as a Jayhawk. As a senior in 2019, he made the All-Big 12 First Team as an offensive lineman, even receiving an invite to the Senior Bowl. He never missed a game for the Jayhawks, playing in 48 consecutive contests dating back to his freshman year.

His performance at KU was impressive enough for the Bengals to take a sixth-round flier on him in the 2020 NFL Draft. Adeniji is one of the linemen who was criticized for last season’s Super Bowl loss to the Rams, but he improved considerably this season after being moved from right guard to right tackle.

Adeniji has not transformed into an above-average NFL offensive lineman yet, but at just 25 years old he has plenty of time to construct his game. For a player of his size, he is considered extremely athletic and has lots of room for growth. Here are some of Adeniji’s 2022 regular season statistics:

• 220 snaps played
• 2 penalties
• 0 sacks allowed
• 54.1 PFF Grade