Greg Gabriel looks at a lesser known edge that could be a day two pick.
When doing tape on prospects for the NFL Draft, I always come upon a few players where I’d say that I’d like to see my team Draft this player. This year, one of those players happens to be Colorado State Edge, Mohamed Kamara. Playing at Colorado State, Kamara doesn’t get the publicity and notoriety of some players from Power-5 Schools but all we have to do is watch the tape, and he jumps out as consistently being one of the best players on the field.
Coming out of High School in Newark, New Jersey, Kamara wasn’t a big-time recruit. In fact, he was just a small (6’2 – 200) 3-star guy with only two Power-5 offers (Boston College and local Rutgers). The rest were all G-5 schools, and he eventually chose Colorado State.
At Colorado State, he red-shirted as a freshman in 2019 and then played as a backup with three starts in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. In 2021, he started three of 12 games played but played in the rotation and recorded 7.5 sacks. During this time, he worked hard in the weight room and gained size, strength, and power.
In 2022 he became a full-time starter and started to show he was a gifted pass rusher and finished the season with 8.5 sacks. In his final 2023 season, he had a breakout year with 56 total tackles and 23 sacks. That exciting ’23 season earned him an invitation to the East–West Shrine Bowl, where he dominated during the week of practices.
Kamara followed that up with a very strong Combine, showing that he was one of the most athletic and explosive defensive ends in the country. At the Combine, Kamara measured 6013 – 247 and ran a 4.57. Now, 6013 is not very tall, but he has 32.5” arms, which is good arm length for a shorter guy.
On tape, there is nothing about Kamara’s game that doesn’t stand out. As a pass rusher, he shows an explosive first step to get up-field then has the moves, hand use, bend and lean to win at the point of attack and pressure or sack the quarterback. In one-on-one situations he can be very difficult to block because of his power and explosiveness.
What I love is that he is a relentless competitor who goes snap to whistle on every down. In the run game, his play is similar in that he can read quickly, get off blocks, then find and get to the ball. He’s an excellent tackler. Though he has size limitations, he does a good job setting the edge. His pursuit game is excellent, and we often see that 4.57 speed when he is running plays down.
When we look at Kamara’s size, many will try and write him off. That would be a huge mistake. This kid is a player. In fact, he reminds me of a current defensive end in the League who just signed a new contract to play his 15th season in Philadelphia. That player would be Brandon Graham.
When comparing Kamara to Graham, there are many similar traits. At the Combine when Graham was in the 2010 Draft, he measured 6013 – 262 and ran 4.72. His arm length was 32 ¼”. So, in essence, Graham was a little thicker but a tenth and a half slower with the same height and similar arm length. Kamara played at a little over 250 at Colorado State last fall, so I feel comfortable that, as a Pro, he will be playing in the mid-250s.
Graham was a first-round pick (13th overall) in the 2010 Draft, and as I stated above, he is getting ready for his 15th season in the NFL. Kamara, because of his size and playing in the Mountain West, won’t get selected in the first round, but I am confident that he will be a solid second-round player who will earn a lot of play time as a rookie. He may never have or enjoy the career that Graham has had, but very few have. Regardless, their similarities in size, athleticism, and style of play are too close to ignore. If Graham was two inches taller, there is no doubt he would be a first-round player in this Draft. That’s how strong the tape is.
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