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2023 NFL Draft | Louisville Recap

The 2023 NFL Draft is now complete, and here are all the Louisville players who were selected or signed UDFA contracts.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The 2023 National Football League Draft is now officially in the books.

Coming off of a draft last year in which no former Louisville football players were selected, this year's draft had a decent UofL presence. In total, three Cardinals heard their name called by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, and three others - as of Apr. 30 - have signed undrafted free agent deals. Louisville has now had 156 all-time selections in the NFL Draft.

Here's who got selected, when they got selected, and whom by:

YaYa Diaby

Selection: No. 82 overall, third round
Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Position: Defensive End

Louisville might not have had a first or second round pick in the draft, but a third round pick isn't too bad. Diaby became the first former Cardinal to be drafted since Dez Fitzpatrick was picked up in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans.

The 6-foot-4, 270-pound defensive end took a massive step forward for his senior season. He collected 14.0 tackles for loss and 9.0 sacks, trailing only Yasir Abdullah for the most on the team, with his sack total ranking second in the ACC. He also tallied 37 tackles, four QB hurries and two recovered fumbles en route to Third-Team All-ACC honors.

Yasir Abdullah

Selection: No. 136 overall, fifth round
Team: Jacksonville Jaguars
Position: EDGE/Linebacker

Speaking of Abdullah, we didn't have to wait too long into day three of the draft to see him come off the board, as he was taken with the first pick of the fifth round. Abdullah was the first Louisville linebacker to be drafted since Lorenzo Mauldin was picked up by the New York Jets in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

The 6-foot-1, 242-pound 3-4 edge rusher was the driving force behind one of the most aggressive front sevens in all of college football. Abdullah led Louisville with 9.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss, which was good for first and sixth in the ACC, respectively, while also tallying 63 total tackles (34 solo) for the fourth-most on the team. He also had two interceptions, four pass breakups, four forced fumbles and seven quarterback hurries. He was voted as a First-Team All-ACC Selection, and was second in ACC Defensive Player of the Year voting to Pitt defensive tackle Calijah Kancey.

Kei'Trel Clark

Selection: No. 180 overall, sixth round
Team: Arizona Cardinals
Position: Cornerback

Clark was the final Louisville player to be drafted this year. His selection marked the first time that the Cardinals have had three players taken in a single draft since they had four drafted in 2018. That draft was also the last time that UofL had a cornerback picked when Jaire Alexander went in the first round to the Packers.

The 5-foot-10, 177-pound corner was one of Louisville's best defensive backs in 2022. Coming off of a 2021 campaign in which he tore his ACL, he finished the season with the fifth-most tackles on the team at 51 (35 solo), as well as 4.0 tackles for loss, a sack, four pass break ups and an interception returned for a touchdown. He was tabbed as a Third-Team All-ACC selection for his efforts.

Undrafted Free Agent Signings

After the draft concluded, a few Cardinals capitalized on the opportunity to sign as an undrafted free agent. Most notably, quarterback Malik Cunningham signed with the New England Patriots mere minutes after the draft had concluded.

Not long afterwards, both offensive tackle Trevor Reid and running back Tiyon Evans both inked UDFA deals. Reid signed with the Philadelphia Eagles while Evans did so with the Los Angeles Rams.

Out of the 16 Louisville players who either graduated or declared early for the 2023 NFL Draft, 10 did got get selected or have not yet signed a UDFA contract: wide receiver Jaelin Carter, offensive guard Caleb Chandler, linebacker Marvin Dallas, offensive guard Adonis Boone, safety Kenderick Duncan, tight end Marshon Ford, wide receiver Tyler Hudson, cornerback Chandler Jones, tight end Isaac Martin and linebacker MoMo Sanogo.

(Photo of YaYa Diaby: Bob DeChiara - USA TODAY Sports)

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