New York Giants Draft Prospect Profile: Edge YaYa Diaby

Edge rusher depth is a sneaky need for the Giants. So let's take a look at a potential prospect who might be a fit to provide depth.

Author:
Nick Falato
Publish date:
Apr 15, 2023 11:48 AM EDT

In this story:

New York Giants

Louisville Cardinals

YaYa Diaby, EDGE

Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 263 lbs.
Class: Senior
School: Louisville
Age: 23 (05/30/1999)

Combine Measurements

Arm length: 34 ⅛” (at Pro Day)
Wingspan: 80 ½”
Hand size: 10 ⅜”
40-yard-dash: 4.51
10-yard-split: 1.51
Vertical jump: 37”
Broad jump: 10’0”

A former three-star recruit out of North Clayton High School in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was the 3rd ranked strong-side defensive end and the second Georgian recruit in the 2020 recruiting cycle.

Diaby started his college career as a JUCO player at Georgia Military College, where he recorded 77 tackles and seven sacks in two seasons. His dominant sophomore season led to aggressive recruiting by Arizona, Florida State, Colorado, South Carolina, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Tennessee, and Louisville.

Notables

Eventually earned his scholarship to play in college after his time at Georgia Military College. He started 7 of 8 games in 2020 but missed some time with an injury in his first year on campus and a bout with COVID-19. He started 12 of 13 games in 2021 and was voted third-team All-ACC in 2022. [STATS]

Diaby played mostly in a four-point stance as a 4-technique that never fully maximized his speed and athletic traits. Angles weren’t necessarily on his side when rushing the passer; he could pin his ears back in certain situations, passing downs. Other than that, Louisville used him a lot on twists and slanted him to penetrate gaps.

Strengths

Solid height and a dense muscular frame
Great length and gigantic 86th percentile hands
Very good overall athlete - a sudden mover at 260+ pounds
Excellent first-step explosiveness and quickness to penetrate
Love his lateral quickness and ability to explode low and avoid high contact
Good flexion throughout his lower-half
Sifts through trash well to locate the ball carrier as a run defender
Good overall run defender who absorbs contact with a solid anchor
Good pursuit defender - takes solid anchor with a ton of hustle
Strong hands to stun as a pass rusher
Quickness off the snap offers him upside as a penetration player
Moves well on twists up front - packs a punch as the penetrator on twists
Could have untapped potential as an EVEN front defensive end
Plays of insane motor and hustle
His best football is ahead of him

Get More 2023 Draft Profiles here.

Weaknesses

Only had more than two sacks in one of three seasons at Louisville (2022)
Needs a more diverse pass-rushing repertoire
Didn’t see too many successful counter moves - can get glued to blocks as a pass rusher
Not overly instinctive against deceptive offensive plays
Showed the ability to anchor against double teams; since he plays inside, deuce combo blocks and DUO combos gave him some trouble against better competition
Will be 24 before training camp

Summary

YaYa Diaby is an older prospect with a unique path to the NFL, but his appearance at the Senior Bowl and Combine have assisted his journey. Diaby is a quick penetrating EDGE who aligned primarily as a 4-technique for Louisville’s defense. He is quick to sift and navigate through traffic on twists and when slanting to penetrate.

His heavy hands can stun offensive linemen, but he lacks a refined pass-rushing plan or an ability to string moves together. There’s some rawness to his game; still, his size, length, athletic profile, and ability to kick inside (like he did in college) will entice NFL teams. Even though he will be 24 soon, it’s easy to see why and how his best football is still ahead of him after a very impressive senior season at Louisville.

GRADE: 6.12