YaYa Diaby 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Prospect: YaYa Diaby
Position: Defensive End
School: Louisville
Year: Fifth-Year Senior

Background

Born May. 30, 1999 (age 23) to parents Mariama and Mohamed Diaby. A native of Atlanta, Ga., he lettered in football, basketball, wrestling and track & field at North Clayton High School. During his senior year, he earned All-State and First-Team All-Region honors, and led North Clayton to the Class 4A playoffs.

Despite this, Diaby was an unranked recruit in the Class of 2017 and received no collegiate interest, mainly due to a then-undersized frame. He spent the 2017 season out of football working at nearby Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, but received chance to join Georgia Military College in 2018.

During his first season at the JUCO institution, he saw action in nine games, logging 19 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. He took a large step forward as a sophomore, collecting 58.0 tackles, 16.0 for loss and 5.0 sacks in 11 games. Regarded as a three-star prospect and the No. 41 JUCO prospect in the Class of 2020, Diaby chose Louisville over mainly Kansas State and West Virginia, while also holding offers from Florida State, Tennessee and others.

Diaby was a regular fixture on Louisville's defensive line over his first two season with the Cardinals, but had a minimal impact. In 21 appearances and 19 starts over the 2020 and 2021 seasons, he only collected 57 tackles, 5.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks.

For his final year at the collegiate level in 2022, Diaby finally had his breakout season. He played a crucial role in helping produce one of the most disruptive defensive lines in college football, tallying 14.5 tackles for loss and 9.0 sacks, both of which were second on the team, as well as 37 tackles overall. He was named a Third-Team All-ACC selection for his efforts.

Measurements

At the NFL Combine, Diaby measured in at 6 feet and 3 3/8 inches (6033) and 263 pounds, along with 10 3/8" hands and 33 7/8″ arms. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.51 seconds, leapt 10 feet and 0 inches (120″) in the broad jump and 37″ in the vertical. Based on these measurements and numbers, Diaby earned a Relative Athletic Score of 9.86 out of 10, ranking 24th out of 1629 defensive ends from 1987 through 2023 (98th percentile).

Scouting Report

Strengths

• Uber-athletic and lengthy. Not only is he one of the most athletic prospects in this draft class, he's one of the most athletic defensive ends over the past three and a half decades.
• Possessions an extremely explosive first step off the line, and has excellent chase down speed.
• Has an incredible amount of raw power. His first strike against blockers has the potential to knock them off their feet, or at the very least create the leverage needed to get by.
• Along with his athletic tools, he also demonstrates solid bend and overall flexibility/fluidity on the edge.

Weaknesses

• Diaby is one of the older prospects in this draft class, as he will turn 24 after the NFL Draft. He also only has one season of high-end productivity at the D1 level.
• Doesn't have the deepest set of pass rush moves, and can sometimes get locked up if his first strike isn't successful. Counters are hit-or-miss.
• While he is physical against the run, he has an average ability to actually diagnose run plays.

NFL Comparison

Boye Mafe (Minnesota - 2018-21, Seattle Seahawks - 2022)

Highlights