2024 NFL Draft prospect profile: Mohamed Kamara, EDGE, Colorado State

Can Kamara continue to be a disruptive force in the NFL?

For a very long time, one of the worst things you could be as an NFL prospect is a “tweener”. That is (or was) a player who didn’t fit neatly into the readily established boxes of the common Pro Style systems.

The league didn’t really know what to do with players who were the wrong size or had too-expansive skillsets for their projected positions in the NFL.

Colorado State edge defender Mohamed Kamara would likely have gotten the “tweener” label a few years ago. He was a defensive lineman in college, rushing from a three or two point stance, and has had 42.5 tackles for a loss and 28.0 sacks over the last three years. However his size (6-foot-1, 248 pounds) and athleticism would have read “linebacker” to an older generation of NFL coaches.

Fortunately, times have changed and teams are much more willing to incorporate unconventional builds and skill sets into their schemes.

The New York Giants could still stand to add to the depth of their front seven and get back to being able to send waves of pass rushers after quarterbacks. Could Kamara be a disruptive force for the Giants?

Prospect: Mohamed Kamara (8)
Games Watched: vs. Michigan (2022), vs. Colorado (2023), vs. Boise State (2023)

Measurables

Kent Lee Platte (@mathbomb) | RAS.football

Strengths

• Explosiveness
• Speed
• Hand usage
• Leverage
• Competitive toughness
• Disruptiveness

Mohamed Kamara is a compact, explosive, twitchy, and competitive pass rusher.

Kamara is only 6-foot 1 ⅜ inches tall, but has adequate arm length for his height at 32 ⅜ inches. That gives him great natural leverage, which he’s used as the foundation for his game. Kamara does a great job of firing out of his stance, playing with good leverage, and getting under defenders’ pads. He also has a great get-off, keying the snap well, exploding out of his stance, and accelerating hard into the backfield.

Kamara comes into the NFL with a solid array of pass rush moves. He has swipe, club, rip, and spin moves, and shows an understanding of how to rush with a plan. Likewise, he’s able to string moves together in second or third efforts. Kamara is also able to uncoil his hips and turn speed into power, delivering a strong jolt to blockers who are preparing for his speed off the edge. Likewise, he also has the agility to execute stunts and twists, attacking blockers who might not be ready for him.

He’s a very aggressive and competitive defender who plays with a wide-open motor on every play. Likewise, he gives great effort in pursuit and is very disruptive in the backfield. Kamara’s explosiveness allows him to be productive on his initial rush, while his motor and speed in pursuit allows him to be productive on second or third efforts.

Weaknesses

• Length
• Mass
• Over-aggression

Kamara’s stature is a double-edged sword. While it gives him natural leverage that he uses as the basis for his pass rush arsenal, it also limits him when blockers are ready for his speed.

Most obviously, he’s limited by his length and blockers have an advantage over him if they’re ready for his speed. Likewise, he has a relatively limited tackle radius and can struggle to bring ball carriers down off of tackles. Likewise, his frame is likely maxed out and his play strength is relatively limited because of that.

Kamara has good strength and power for his size, however he can struggle to get off blocks if offensive linemen are able to lock them in. He can also have his rushes disrupted and lineman can knock him off track relatively easily.

His length and limited mass also make run defense an issue for Kamara. He can also fall victim to his aggressiveness and be over-aggressive in pursuing misdirection, taking himself out of position, which is also magnified by his length issues.

Game Tape

(Kamara is Colorado State EDGE number 8)

Projection

Mohamed Kamara projects as a rotational edge defender at the NFL level, though Kamara’s value and draft stock could vary widely from team to team.

He will likely come in under some teams’ thresholds for height and length, which could slide him down draft boards. Likewise, some teams that run more pure 4-3 fronts that use traditional 7-technique defensive ends will likely look elsewhere. However, teams that run 1-gap 3-4 or “multiple” defense could value him more highly.

In particular, teams that are more concerned with raw explosiveness and versatility than size will likely be enamored with Kamara. He’s one of the twitchiest pass rushers in this draft class, and he will be a handful for blockers one-on-one off the edge. The ability to disrupt in the backfield is always valuable, and that should buoy his draft stock overall.

Kamara might need to start his career as a designated pass rush specialist, which would put him in position to play to his strengths without needing to stack and shed blockers or contend with longer offensive tackles. Whether or not he’s able to grow into an every-down player will depend on the situation in which he lands and whether his future team even wants to use him as such, or keep him as a part of an active defensive front rotation.

Does he fit the Giants?
Yes, though he might need to be a pass rush specialist.

Final Word: A solid Day 2 value