Ali Gaye NFL Draft Scouting Report

EDGE, LSU Tigers

Ali Gaye is a redshirt senior defensive lineman for the LSU Tigers that transferred to the program in 2020 after attending Garden City Community College. Since Gaye’s arrival to the LSU football program in 2020, he has been a contributor to the defense, being named an All-SEC Second Team player in 2020. Since that season, Gaye’s play and ability to stay on the field have been rather stagnant. Gaye finished his career with two sacks in 2020, 2.5 sacks in 2021, and 2.5 sacks in 2022. 

As an NFL prospect, Gaye possesses all of the physical tools needed to be an impactful edge player on the next level. Gaye has a great build at 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds, along with exceptional length and a well-proportioned frame. This allows Gaye to make plays in the run game and as a pass-rusher simply using his natural athleticism. Against the run, Gaye is most productive when he can slant into gaps using his explosive first step and get penetration into the backfield. Gaye possesses the speed to quickly cross the face of offensive linemen and makes it difficult for them to get hands on him. As a pass-rusher, Gaye uses his quick first step to gain leverage on offensive linemen in an attempt to win the edge around them to get to the quarterback. Gaye also shows to have a couple of hand counters, the two-hand swipe and a rip move, that he can use to defeat offensive linemen in his pass-rush sequence. 

Gaye has all of the physical tools to be an impactful player but there are details of his game that he needs to improve upon to be a more consistently productive player. In the run game, you can minimize his impact by designing run plays his way. It appears that Gaye needs to play stronger at the point of attack and play with better leverage so offensive linemen are not able to get under his pads and displace him off the line of scrimmage. Gaye’s lack of strength also shows as a pass-rusher. When Gaye can not win the edge using his speed, he doesn’t convert speed to power using his strength to defeat offensive linemen. Oftentimes, once Gaye is beaten to a spot by an offensive lineman, it results in his pass rush becoming stagnant.

Overall, Gaye is an NFL prospect with a high upside due to his size and natural athletic ability, but there are still detailed elements of his game that he needs to work on to be a consistently impactful player in the NFL.

Top Reasons to Buy In:

• Prototypical size    
• Fluid, smooth athlete      
• Flashes of high-level production in college 

Top Reasons For Concern:

• Inconsistent production  
• Strength  
• Lower-body tightness 

Size (NFL Combine):

Height: 6′ 6”

Weight: 263 lbs

Arm Length: 34 1/4”

Hand Size: 9 1/2”

Athletic Testing (source):

40-yard Dash: 4.70s

Vertical Jump: 

Broad Jump: 

Short-Shuttle: 

Three-Cone: 

Bench Reps: 

Ideal Role: Defensive end in 4-3 scheme 

Scheme Fit: 4-3 scheme 

TDN Consensus Grade: 75/100 (Third-Round Value)

• Sanchez Grade: 75/100

Written By: Keith Sanchez 

Exposures: Alabama (2022), Florida State (2022), Auburn (2022), Ole Miss (2022), Entire 2020 season 

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