Louisville DE YaYa Diaby Cracks The Athletic's Top 100 NFL Prospect Rankings

 With the 2023 NFL Draft roughly a month away, mock draft and big board season is in full swing. As several former Louisville players continue to prepare and train for their upcoming professional careers, one Cardinal is starting to separate himself from the others.

Prior to releasing his annual "The Beast" NFL Draft guide later this month, The Athletic's Dane Brugler updated his Top 100 NFL Prospects big board, with Louisville's YaYa Diaby landing amongst the 100. The defensive end ranks as his No. 79 overall draft prospect.

An edge rusher at 260-plus pounds and with 4.5 speed, Diaby in 2022 had 9.0 sacks and 14 tackles for loss. He has 34-inch arms and, though he’s not quite refined enough to use his length and explosiveness to turn tight corners on the edge, he can convert that speed to power on pass rushes.

The Louisville scheme didn’t always give Diaby the best opportunity to cut loose up the field. With his lack of playing experience, he’s also going to need some time playing behind veterans to learn the ins and outs of working as a nine-technique in the NFL — especially as a run defender. Diaby needs to improve his anchor to set the edge and stop perimeter runs.

He will need some time to be his best self, but there’s always a reason to take a chance on the size and tools Diaby boasts.

- The Athletic's Diante Lee

The 6-foot-4, 270-pound defensive end took a massive step forward for his senior season, and was a key component behind one of the most disruptive front sevens in all of college football. He collected 14.0 tackles for loss and 9.0 sacks, trailing only Yasir Abdullah for the most on the team, with his sack total ranking second in the ACC. He also tallied 37 tackles, four QB hurries and two recovered fumbles.

Diaby spent the first two years of his collegiate career in the JUCO ranks with Georgia Military College. The Atlanta native would then go on to amass 19.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks and 94 total tackles in three years at Louisville.

The 2023 NFL Draft will begin on Thursday, Apr. 27 at 8:00 p.m. EST on ESPN and the NFL Network. Louisville will kickoff their 2023 season against Georgia Tech in the annual Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. on Friday, Sept. 1.