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Louisville’s Yasir Abdullah and Yaya Diaby taking names at NFL Scouting Combine

By Cameron Franck

Nov 19, 2022; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals defensive lineman YaYa Diaby (6) and Louisville Cardinals linebacker Yasir Abdullah (22) walk off the field during the second half against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Cardinal Stadium. Louisville defeated North Carolina State 25-10. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 19, 2022; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals defensive lineman YaYa Diaby (6) and Louisville Cardinals linebacker Yasir Abdullah (22) walk off the field during the second half against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Cardinal Stadium. Louisville defeated North Carolina State 25-10. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports /
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The NFL Scouting Combine kicked off yesterday in Indianapolis, Indiana, where a slew of top-end talent is able to display their talents before both fans and NFL scouts alike. Fans and scouts made their way to the capital of the Hoosier state just like they have for the past 36 years. Indianapolis was announced as host of the NFL Combine in 1987 and has maintained that status until this day. In 2022, the opportunity arose for other markets to bid on becoming the host. But, Indianapolis was awarded the opportunity through at least 2024.

Two of the highly-touted prospects that made the trek to Indiana debuted their skills for the watching world to see: former Louisville defensive lineman Yaya Diaby and former Louisville linebacker Yasir Abdullah. Abdullah and Diaby are joined by three other Cardinals this weekend: cornerback Kei’Trel Clark, quarterback Malik Cunningham, and running back Tiyon Evans.

Yasir Abdullah

The Miramar, Florida native officially measured at 6-foot-1, 237-pounds and put on a showcase for linebackers. Abdullah officially recorded a 4.47 40-yard dash time, 36.5″ vertical jump, and 10’9″ broad jump. His 40-yard dash time was good enough for fifth overall in defensive players. The fastest was Georgia edge rusher Nolan Smith with a 4.39 time.

As far as his broad jump, he was 12th overall among defensive players, but all of the prospects before him were cornerbacks except for three, including himself. So, not too shabby at all.

NFL Analyst Lance Zierlein built a brief scouting report on him and it is as follows:

Strengths

  • Impressive production in impact categories.
  • Densely muscled with booming upper-body power.
  • Batters in-line tight ends with heavy hands.
  • Surprising short-area foot agility getting to the ball.
  • Sturdy base adds fuel to his leverage on the move.
  • Strength and quickness make him dangerous on twists.
  • No wasted steps once he gets to the rush edge.
  • Stalking speed to close on the quarterback.

Weaknesses

  • Size and length fall well below NFL norms for the position.
  • Can get caught up inside, causing him to lose his run contain.
  • Must stay diligent near long-armed tackles.
  • Allows protection to hook him with outside hand.
  • Speed-to-power moves fail to threaten the pocket.
  • Face-up rusher unable to flip his hips at top of the rush.

It may be biased, but his weaknesses do not appear overly glaring to me. His elite upper-body power forced his way into the backfield on countless occassions this past season and saw him finish the season with 9.5 sacks. So, he had no trouble getting in the backfield.

Yaya Diaby

Following in his footsteps was defensive lineman Yaya Diaby. The Atlanta, Georgia native officially measured in at 6-foot-3, 263-pounds of pure power. He also found his way into the backfield several times last season, managing to get 9 sacks.

Diaby’s combine statistics include a 4.51 40-yard dash time, 37″ vertical jump, and 10’0″ broad jump. But, his jump off the 40-yard dash time got a lot of attention, especially for a guy his size.

Fans of all different NFL teams are clamming for their team to draft him as he could be an incredible steal in this year’s upcoming draft. Here is Lance Zierlein’s scouting report of Yaya Diaby:

Strengths

  • Gets out of stance and up the field in a hurry.
  • Lateral burst works well for him in gaming rush fronts.
  • Effective setting blockers into picks on twist loops.
  • Uses punch-and-pull technique to yank blockers off-balance.
  • Separates at point of attack with sharp punch into full extension.
  • Finds the football through contact and movement.
  • Short-area acceleration to chase down his targets.

Weaknesses

  • Rush approach needs more skill added to the power.
  • Lacks hand creativity to soften the edge at the top of the rush.
  • Improvement needed for rush counters to prevent stalling out.
  • Doesn’t keep pads square when sliding with blocks down the line.
  • Room to get better with his double team take-ons.

The 2023 NFL Draft will begin on April 27, 2023 in Kansas City. Keep an eye out for these two to make an impact at the next level.

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