Boubacar Traore
Notre Dame#96 overallDraft Movement
Down 5 spots since Jun 8
Scouting Report
Traore is one of the highest-upside, lowest-snap edge prospects in the class, a former consensus four-star from Catholic Memorial (Roxbury, Mass.) and 2023 All-American Bowl invitee who flipped from Boston College to Notre Dame. He flashed early in South Bend with a sack of Heisman winner Caleb Williams as a freshman and a pick-six against Purdue, then tore his left ACL five games into 2024 and missed the Irish national-title run. NFLDraftBuzz grades him at 83.0 with a 4.68 forty at 247 pounds, ranking him the No. 25 DL, while the all-scouts average lands him around overall No. 100; Mel Kiper slotted him as edge No. 106. Sam Teets (SportsTalk) framed his tools as a "Day 2 floor and a Day 1 ceiling." On tape Traore wins with a freaky first step, roughly 80-inch arms, and the bend to flatten rush angles around the arc, aligning at 4i, 5-tech and wide-9 in two- and three-point stances. He is a genuine weapon on stunts and games, slipping the A-gap on T-E exchanges, and pairs cross-chops, rips, long-arms, spins and a developing ghost move. His length lets him stack and shed in the run game and his closing burst makes him a dangerous backside pursuer. The concerns are honest: fewer than 200 career snaps before this season, a major knee surgery to clear medically, an inconsistent power profile, and a rush plan that too often defaults to speed. Most projections put him between the late third and middle fifth round, with Day 2 upside if he tests as the elite athlete his forty suggests.
Strengths
- Explosive first step that beats tackles off the snap and times the count like a veteran
- roughly 80-inch arm length used to control rush width and create separation
- bend and dip to flatten his angle at the top of the arc
- weapon on stunts and games, slips the A-gap on T-E loops
- diverse pass-rush kit (cross-chop, rip, long-arm, spin, developing ghost)
- inside spin counter set up off a hard speed sell and strong jab step
- long-arm to pry open the B-gap and attack interior lanes
- elite closing burst and pursuit angles to run down stretch plays from the backside
Weaknesses
- Fewer than 200 career defensive snaps before 2025, an incomplete evaluation
- recovering from a torn left ACL, medical checks will be critical
- needs to add 10 to 15 pounds of functional mass
- inconsistent power profile, gets displaced horizontally when tackles get hands inside
- underdeveloped, speed-dependent rush plan that lacks down-to-down variety
- late to engage his hands on some reps and ends up chest-to-chest
- struggles to anchor and hold the point of attack, can open a wide B-gap
- dives at ball carriers instead of driving through, leading to missed tackles
NFL Comparison
Boston/Travon Walker type developmental power-speed edge with rare length and burst but a thin resume; James Houston style late-blooming bend-and-burst rusher who needs technique reps; comparable scheme-versatile 3-4 stand-up OLB projection in the mold of a young Carl Lawson, winning early with first step and length while the power develops
College Stats
2024 (RS Fr): 12 tackles, 3.0 sacks in 5 games before torn left ACL (~133 snaps); 2025: 32 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble (Walter), NFLDraftBuzz logs 37 tackles, 23 solo, 6.5 sacks, 1 FF; career snaps still low coming off injury, ~365 snaps logged early in the season
Measurables
Awards & Honors
2023 All-American Bowl invitee; consensus four-star recruit (247Sports No. 227, On3 No. 208, ESPN No. 222 with an 82 grade); two-time Massachusetts state champion at Catholic Memorial (12-0 as a junior); Mel Kiper edge No. 106; NFLDraftBuzz DL No. 25 (83.0 grade)