Yasir Abdullah – Senior – Edge/LB – 6’1 – 242 Lbs. Draft Expectation: 5th – 6th Round
Yasir Abdullah is the last of a trio of Cardinals that are all almost guaranteed to be drafted in a few days. Although he’s not expected to hear his name called too early, he’s actually my favorite prospect out of the bunch.
Don’t get me wrong. I think Yaya Diaby could be great with his size and explosiveness, and Kei’Trel has incredible skill, but to me, Yasir Abdullah is the guy I could see making Pro Bowls, if he’s drafted to the right team.
Abdullah spent the last two years doing everything for the Cardinals, and his senior year stat line should have garnered him ACC Defensive Player of the Year, but I digress.
Yasir Abdullah passes the 20-sack mark for his Louisville career. pic.twitter.com/k9mAd7zw5V
— Tyler Greever (@Tyler_Greever) November 19, 2022
Abdullah’s greatest strength for Louisville was his versatility, but I think that might be hurting him now. Scouts see him as a tweener, and they don’t know if they’re drafting an edge rusher or a linebacker.
But to me, that’s the beauty of his game. Abdullah can do whatever you ask him. Need an edge rusher to pin his ears back and get after the quarterback? Abdullah can do it. Need a linebacker that can read the gaps and stop running backs at the line of scrimmage? Abdullah can do it. Need a player who can defend the pass in space? Abdullah can do that, too.
Unfortunately, it’s Abdullah’s jack-of-all-trades abilities that aren’t as appreciated by the NFL Draft community. ESPN has him expected to go in the 5th round, CBS has him expected to go in the 6th round, and NFL.com has him not getting drafted until the 7th.
I think whoever gets Abdullah will get an absolute steal. But based on the most recent mock drafts, I don’t expect that steal to come until the late fifth or early sixth round.
Most likely landing spots:
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Dallas Cowboys
- Baltimore Ravens