YaYa Diaby

Pos: EDGE

School: Louisville

Ht. 6’3″ 

Wt. 263

Games Watched: Wake Forest, Syracuse, Florida State

One Liner: Explosive edge rusher who wins with get off, first step quickness, and power

Strengths: 

  • Very good get off. Diaby is explosive off the edge, and fires out of his stance and into the chest of opposing tackles. He jumps out with a great first step that covers the required ground to be ahead of opposing blockers in his rush. 
  • Very good snap timing. Diaby has great snap timing and is able to be one of the first lineman out of Louisville’s front to get out of his stance and into the play at the POA. 
  • Good power. DIaby flashes good power with a long arm move and is able to generate power by converting some speed and momentum from his get off to barrel into the chest of tackles and guards. 
  • Good speed to power conversion. Because of his get off and explosiveness, Diaby is able to convert some of that speed into powerful force that generates shock on opposing lineman allowing him to find himself in the backfield. 

Weaknesses:

  • Adequate technique at the POA.  Diaby’s technique is unrefined at the POA right now. He lacks the hand placement and usage needed to give him the best chance to counter and work inside. 
  • Adequate rush moves/counters. Diaby lacks polish in terms of rush counters and utilizing a toolbag of rush moves. He operates with speed and power at this point, and will need to find other ways to beat tackles when running the arc. 
  • Adequate play recognition. Diaby needs to do a better job of identifying plays and working towards the backfield rather than just beating out his blocker. 

Overall Assessment:  YaYa Diaby is an explosive edge rusher that has the basic tools to have an impact as a speed rusher in the pros. He is extremely raw at this point, and will need to refine a lot of technical aspects of his game, primarily at the POA, in order to become a formidable, well rounded talent that plays every down. Nonetheless, Diaby’s fuelled up motor and explosiveness makes him a viable special teams player that could come in on late downs and be a tough pass rushing task for slower, bigger offensive lineman. 

Scheme Fit: odd front outside linebacker but flashes the strength to be a 5t 

Pick Projection: Round 4

Grade: 6.22