Yaya Diaby – Senior – DE- 6’3 – 263 Lbs. – Draft Expectation: 3rd – 4th Round
Yaya Diaby spent the last year terrorizing ACC Quarterbacks, as he racked up 9.0 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss last season. That strong senior year paired with an incredible NFL Combine has Yaya primed to be an early day 3 pick.
Yaya Diaby is a DE prospect in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 9.86 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 23 out of 1629 DE from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/w2QqqYsdHy pic.twitter.com/GwK4wiSpFQ
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 22, 2023
His athleticism is truly insane. Those numbers have him ranked as one of the most athletic defensive ends of all time.
Some of the most recent seven-round mock drafts have Diaby projected to go in the late 4th round, but Mel Kiper Jr. has Diaby slated to go in the 3rd round. Kiper also has Diaby listed as his favorite defensive end in the entire draft.
My "favorite" 2023 prospect at 14 different positions. These are MY GUYS in this draft. https://t.co/4bRZ4x3GLm
— Mel Kiper Jr. (@MelKiperESPN) April 18, 2023
If I’m going to believe anyone during draft season, it’s going to be Kiper, so I expect Diaby to hear his name called somewhere around the mid to late 3rd round, but I think he’ll go no later than round 4 to a team looking to add a speedy 4-3 defensive end.
Most likely landing spots:
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- San Francisco 49ers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers