2023 NFL Draft: Why the Jaguars Drafted Yasir Abdullah

The explosive pass-rusher stood out to the Jaguars during Day 3 of the NFL Draft.

The Jacksonville Jaguars wanted to leave the 2023 NFL Draft with an explosive pass-rusher. 

In Lousiville's Yasir Abdullah, they believe they did exactly that.

Abdullah, a fifth-round selection at No. 136 overall, flashed throughout his Louisville career thanks to a lightning-quick first-step and a desire to wreak havoc on opposing offensive lines. That is exactly what the Jaguars saw on tape, and exactly why they brought him in to round out their pass rush. 

"It's a changeup for our guys. And our defensive staff was looking for a guys that was a changeup to what we currently have," Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said.

"We just felt at that point in time, the production, the character of the kid, how hard he works, how important football is to him and the success he's had at that level all made sense to us."

In five years at Louisville, Abdullah appeared in 60 games and started 40, recording 208 tackles, 43 tackles for loss, 23.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles, 11 pass deflections, and three interceptions.

Abdullah appeared in 11 games and recorded eight tackles as a true freshman in 2018 before seeing an expanded role in 2019. Starting seven games and appeared in 12, Abdullah recorded 43 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, one pass deflection, and one interception.

Abdullah led Louisville in forced fumbles in 2020, recording 33 tackles, seven tackles for loss, three sacks, and three forced fumbles. He was then named second-team All-ACC in 2021 after he led the team in tackles for loss and sacks, recording 51 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and three pass breakups.

Abdullah returned to school in 2022, starting all 13 games and being named first-team All-ACC as he led the team in tackles for loss (14.5), sacks (9.5), forced fumbles (four) and also recorded six pass breakups and two interceptions.

"First and foremost, special teams. And the fact that he had 20 sacks the past two years at a high level of competition," Baalke said when asked about how he sees Abdullah fitting in.

"There's been some very productive shorter rushers in the National Football League. He can run. He runs 4.52 and he gets to it in a hurry coming off the edge. What you see with the smaller guys that are having success in this league, it's hard for the 6'6", 6'7" tackles to get down to their level."

The question now is where exactly Abdullah will play. A former safety, he split his time between EDGE and linebacker throughout his career at Louisville. The Jaguars will likely trot him out at EDGE first, but it will be up to the defensive staff -- and Abdullah -- to figure out his true spot in the Jaguars' defense. 

"That's going to be up to the coaches once he gets in here," Baalke said. 

"And we'll get a good feel for him over the next couple of weeks, months and see where exactly where he fits in the defensive package. But that's totally up to the coaches."