Every cycle, we see at least one prospect within the “designated pass rusher” mold emerge. In the 2024 NFL Draft, that prospect might be Colorado State EDGE Mohamed Kamara. What kind of potential does Kamara have with his scouting report?
Mohamed Kamara’s Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’1 3/8″
- Weight: 248 pounds
- Length: 32 3/8″
- Wingspan: 78 1/2″
- Hand: 8 5/8″
- Position: Edge Rusher
- School: Colorado State
- Current Year: Redshirt Senior
Everything about Kamara’s game is a grind. You see it with how he applies himself on rushes, and how he strives to set up tackles. The details of the pass-rushing chess game aren’t lost on Kamara, and in fact, he exhibits a mastery that few 2024 NFL Draft prospects can match.
That mastery was ultimately the product of years of practice and repetition, starting back when Kamara joined the Colorado State Rams as a three-star recruit from Newark, New Jersey.
Mohamed Kamara is a DE prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 7.99 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 363 out of 1798 DE from 1987 to 2024. https://t.co/eeW7O5dSA1 pic.twitter.com/CnuE89R1WF
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 21, 2024
Kamara’s first two years at Colorado State were relatively uneventful, but the ascending defender emerged in 2021 with 6.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss. The next season, he amassed 8.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss, making himself known against College Football Playoff participant Michigan in Week 1.
Then, 2022 could’ve been Kamara’s springboard to the NFL, but he ultimately decided to return and strive for even greater heights at Colorado State. And in 2023, he reached those heights, winning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year with a 13-sack, 17-TFL campaign.
The offseason process has just been more of the same for Kamara. He shined at the East-West Shrine Bowl, and tested well at the NFL Combine, logging a 4.57-second 40-yard dash with a 1.58 10-yard split, a 34.5″ vertical, and a 10’5″ broad jump.
Kamara’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Has a dense, compact frame with great natural leverage and solid proportional length.
- Explosive speed rusher with a searing first step and rapid acceleration up the arc.
- Has the lateral explosiveness to stunt across gaps and threaten angles off the snap.
- Has the ankle flexion to reduce his surface area while multitasking at the apex.
- Natural leverage allows him to easily sink underneath extending tackles and stay clean.
- Flashes the ability to leverage his burst, length, and frame density into awesome power.
- Has shown he can sustain bull-rushes with urgent leg churn after exerting initial power.
- Can win at the apex with brisk double-swipe and rip combos, swatting at extensions.
- Compromising tactician who knows how to use upper-lower synergy to set up blockers.
- Expert hand-fighter who stacks counters with quickness and proficiency on approach.
- Able to off-set tackles with euro-steps, then roll outside and break the apex with swipes.
- Can use his burst and narrow frame to peel through gaps and enter run-defense pursuit.
- Able to pry underneath extending run blockers and pinch tight angles in pursuit.
- Can recognize pullers and launch into contact, to encumber and blot out exterior lanes.
- Carries a relentless, unyielding motor in all phases, and chases plays until the whistle.
Weaknesses
- Has below-average mass and size overall, which can limit his usage flexibility.
- Naturally doesn’t hold up well as a strong-side defensive end in run defense.
- With lacking frame dimensions, can be more easily re-routed by longer offensive tackles.
- Frame, while well-leveraged, is high-cut, which can impact hip transition quickness.
- Sometimes experiences slight hitches when attempting sharp lateral direction changes.
- Hip flexibility isn’t quite elite, which can limit his ability to fully sink while accelerating.
- Slight hip stiffness can impact his sequencing when stacking chops with euro-steps.
- Doesn’t have high-end length, which can limit his recourse against longer tackles.
- Middling length detracts from maximum power capacity and power sustain through reps.
- Can be more proficient at loading power from his base and channeling with his arms.
- Sometimes diverts upright when stunting across gaps, which detracts from power load.
- Doesn’t have the raw power capacity to break free on second-effort attempts.
- Will be a 25-year-old rookie at the start of the 2024 campaign.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Kamara grades out as an early-to-mid Day 3 prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft. Particularly for teams that run predominantly odd and hybrid-front alignments, Kamara is worth consideration anywhere in the Day 3 range.
Kamara is a very clear and distinct fit for the “designated pass rusher” role that’s becoming more prominent in the modern NFL. At around 6’1″, 248 pounds, with sub-33″ arms, he’s notably undersized, and that shows up especially often in run defense.
While Kamara has great instincts for pulling blocks and gap fluctuations in run defense, he naturally lacks the size, play strength, and point-of-attack power to gain control of the line as an edge-setter and prevent displacement. Those same size limitations also constrict his pass-rushing versatility.
Still, as a designated pass rusher, Kamara has almost every trait you could ask for. He’s extremely fast and explosive running up the arc, with enough natural leverage and proportional length to channel initial power. And his pass-rush and counter arsenal is one of the deepest in the class.
Kamara can win with quick swipes, rips, cross-chops, and applied power. He also has the lateral agility and out-of-transition explosiveness to capitalize on angle advantages when tackles over-set. Even if he can’t win immediately, his motor never rests.
There’s a visible ceiling for Kamara with his lacking size, and at his advanced age, that limits his early-round appeal. But there’s also a very high-floor present and one that could allow him to be a rotational pass-rushing catalyst right out of the gate.
MORE: Top EDGEs in the 2024 NFL Draft
At his maximum, Kamara can be a high-quality third pass rusher in an NFL rotation, with the toolbox to produce week in and week out as a pressure generator, while also providing enough instincts and gap awareness to present playmaking upside against the run.
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