(2023)Ali Gaye-EDGE-LSU

Ali Gaye

EDGE

6’6, 265

RS Senior

Strengths	Weaknesses
NFL-Ready Frame and Length Good Quickness and Burst Off the Line Intelligent Player, Solid Play Recognition Quick in Pursuit Ability to Split Blockers Using Angles	Not Enough Power at Times Can Easily be Neutralized/Taken Out of a Play Plays Too Tall Sometimes Lack of Production Durability Concerns

2022 Statistics (Per PFF)

*(Ranking is out of the 241 EDGE/LB with 200+ pass rush snaps this season)

2022 Statistic	Total	Ranking *	Rank Percentile
Pressures	18	T-202nd	Bottom 16%
Sacks	2	T-194th	Bottom 20%
Hurries	12	T-202nd	Bottom 16%
Pass Rush Win Rate	7.8%	T-219th	Bottom 9%
QB Hits	4	T-124th	Bottom 49%
Tackles	24	N/A	N/A
Missed Tackle %	19.5%	N/A	N/A

Write-Up:

Ali Gaye is a 5th-year senior edge rusher who has spent the past 3 collegiate seasons at LSU. Before becoming a Tiger, Gaye spent time at the Garden City Community College JUCO program before transferring to LSU. After an impressive 2020 season (38 pressures, 4 sacks), Gaye suffered an undisclosed upper-body injury that required surgery and cut his 2021 season short after just 4 games. In 2022, Gaye returned as a starter but his production sharply fell off from his earlier years, with career low pressure and sack totals, despite playing almost 300 more snaps than he did in 2021, though fellow edge rusher BJ Ojulari did eat into his totals a little bit. He will be an older rookie coming out, already at 24 years old.

Starting with the good that Gaye puts on tape, it is very clear he has the size and frame to succeed at the next level. He is listed at 6’6, 265 lbs and honestly has room to grow into his frame if desired. Gaye has very long arms, something always desired in an edge rusher, and paired with his athletic profile help make him a threat to always make first contact. Gaye also demonstrates some really good burst and explosiveness in his first step, and has the speed to really work around the outside of a blocker when he wants to. He has some bend to his rushing attack, and he often uses his first step and slipperiness to angle himself through a blocker to fill gaps. Gaye also demonstrates a lot of intelligence in his game. He can easily recognize a play and is not easily faked out (from a play-calling perspective). In run defense, Gaye is capable of filling run lanes and using his length to force runners into different holes.

On the negative side, Gaye is strangely not a very powerful rusher at all despite his size. He really struggles to convert his speed into meaningful power and can often be stymied by blockers who have a strong base and can easily take the initial contact. His hands can be very weak and he can sometimes overplay himself into thinking he can push back a blocker, only to get flattened himself. His lack of power can oftentimes have him be completely taken out of play, and he can fail to stand his ground in running lanes. Apart from that, his general lack of production is a red flag for some teams. While it certainly is not the “be all, end all” for a player, Gaye took a massive step backwards this year while supposedly being relatively healthy. Potentially, his injury and surgery from last season may have had lingering effects that the public may not know fully about. But that is just pure speculation, and all we have to go on is that his numbers fell dramatically this season.

Overall, Ali Gaye has the explosive first step and size profile of a good NFL pass rusher, but seemingly never was able to put it all together, at least in his final collegiate season. The biggest knock on Gaye was his overall play strength, and an improvement in that area would help Gaye become a completely different and much more dangerous player at the next level.

Draft Projection: Rounds 4-6