YaYa Diaby
Tampa Bay BuccaneersUNDERPAIDModel Score
How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →
Season Stats · 17 games
Draft & College
He went about where consensus had him.
Covers the college seasons in our data, which does not always reach back to a player's first year.
Comps
STM Take
Three-year STTM range tier 3-4 (#32, #24, #29) for a 3rd-round pick puts Diaby above the average draft-slot-vs-outcome class at the position. The Louisville ACC pedigree plus the Tampa Bay structural-anchor role gives him real developmental floor. The 2026 question is whether Diaby crosses into tier 2 territory plus earns his first Pro Bowl or whether tier 3-4 becomes the stable late-prime baseline.
Diaby came out of Louisville as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 3rd-round pick (82nd overall) in 2023 after starting 28 games for the Cardinals. The Buccaneers installed him as the structural edge anchor from his rookie year. His STTM career runs tier 4 (#32) rookie, tier 3 (#24) in 2024, and tier 4 (#29) in 2025.
Strengths
- Three straight tier 3-4 STTM finishes (#32, #24, #29) for an 82nd overall pick puts him above the developmental band for Day 2 EDGEs.
- Louisville 28-start pedigree plus three years of Buccaneers structural-anchor reps gives him real developmental foundation.
Concerns
- Career STTM range capped at tier 3 (#24) flags the realistic ceiling at top-25 EDGE rather than Pro Bowl territory.
- Tampa Bay's broader defensive identity transition (multiple new coordinators) compresses the structural support around Diaby's continued development.
What to watch: Whether Diaby crosses into tier 2 (top 15) in 2026 plus earns his first Pro Bowl, the threshold for confirming the structural starter ceiling holds.