When the Bucs selected Louisville outside linebacker YaYa Diaby in the third round of the NFL draft they weren’t just drafting him for his abilities to get after the quarterback. Like many of their draft picks, Diaby is a high-character player and a leader who knows the meaning of hard work. Pewter Report recently spoke with Louisville outside linebacker coach Mark Ivey, and he echoed what Bucs general manager Jason Licht and vice president of player personnel John Spytek had to say about him.

“He did an exceptional job of setting the tone of how we were going to do things by example, but then also demanding accountability and everybody putting forth their best foot,” Ivey said. “It was clear that a lot of the things that happened this year were due to, not only him, but he was one of the mainstays as far as leadership and lead by example as well as vocally. He had those abilities early on and he continued to develop them throughout the three years that he was there. And then this past year they were absolutely featured in the forefront of us being able to have some success and have a good year.”

YaYa Diaby’s Preparation Sets Him Apart From Others

Bucs OLB YaYa Diaby – Photo By: USA Today

YaYa Diaby was one of the stars of the NFL Scouting Combine, running a 4.51 with a 1.56 10-second split at 6-foot-3, 263 pounds. But it was not just his athleticism that appealed to the Bucs, who had a formal interview with him in Indianapolis. It was also the amount of preparation he put in at Louisville to have success recording a career-high nine sacks last year.

Coach Ivey noted there were times Diaby would come in early or stay late watching game film and working on his craft by studying his opponents to be able to put his best foot forward on Saturdays.

“There weren’t a lot of times during the week that I didn’t walk downstairs to put something on the meeting room board, to put down some install sheets, to put down our game plan stuff, and he wouldn’t be sitting in there either watching practice or usually watching our upcoming opponent,” Ivey said. Because the things we talk about early on is if you know when they’re going to run the ball and when they’re going to pass the ball and if we can see how a guy is working. If we can dictate pre-snap run or pass and then also dictate which way they’re running left or right, by splits, by spacing, by weight distribution, all that stuff. Then we got a chance to be highly successful.

“When you’ve got a talented guy like YaYa that also knows pre-snap those things. The more he figured that out in time, the more he bought into it, he took ownership of the fact that knowledge is extreme power. So therefore, he bought into that. He did study and he did work. There’s no doubt. That’s something that helped him be great. Now, it’s an extreme amount of power and an extreme amount of explosion. But he also buys into the fact that studying and learning and knowing what they do is about as much as it’s important as knowing what I do. You’ve got to do both – know yourself and know your opponents.”

Sack Production Came After Learning To Be Disruptive

Coming into his final season at Louisville, YaYa Diaby had modest production with just 57 tackles, 5.5 for loss, and just 1.5 sacks over two years. His third and final year with the Cardinals was when he broke out. Ivey attributes Diaby’s breakout campaign to him going from being a disruptor to being a destroyer.

“That was one of the things in last year’s postseason evaluation, the first year we talked about we’ve got to be disruptive, we’ve got to be explosive, we’ve got to knock things around,” Ivey said. “I think he made vast improvements from year one to year two in that. We go back and we look at a lot of tape and there are multiple, five, six, seven double-digit opportunities where you’re an inch, maybe two inches away from a strip sack, a tackle for loss – all those things. So are you being disruptive? Are you hurting offensive lines and offensive schemes? Yes. But we need to add to that disruption with a lot of production.

“So, the things that we were working on before, we just paid a little bit more attention to detail – and he did. He put the commitment into drilling that stuff up in the summer, being able to get that half an inch to get to that quarterback where instead of it being a close call, it’s a sack. Instead of being a disruptive play that hurt the offensive line, it’s a tackle for loss. So that was the biggest thing, I said hey you’re disruption is great, but we have to add to your production if you want to get to where you want to be and if we want to be able to try to win ball games at a high level.”

That attention to detail and commitment led to Diaby’s best year at the collegiate level. In 2022 he put up 37 tackles, 14 for loss, nine sacks to go with two fumble recoveries and two pass deflections. 

YaYa Diaby’s Bend Makes Him Dangerous With Bucs

Bucs OLB YaYa Diaby – Photo by: USA Today

What makes Diaby so effective as a pass rusher is his ability to bend. That ability to get low to the ground where it’s difficult for offensive lineman to counter is one reason why his game is projected to translate well to the NFL. With bend – you either have it or you don’t. It’s not something that is easy to develop. It’s an athletic trait that Diaby possesses and use to his advantage.

“Well, if you watch not only game tape, but if you watch any practice film, if you watch any drill tape, he’s able to get off that football and play feet – if not inches – from the ground and that’s very difficult,” Ivey said. “When you’re a 6-foot-5 offensive tackle it’s really hard for them to get down there and play at that level. And so he’s able to bend both from his knees and ankles and hips and continue to move forward and work edges while he is getting around that edge right there.

“There is no doubt he can bend, but I think his get-off is one of his strongest features. When that ball moves and that offensive tackle wiggles, YaYa’s first step is elite. Some guys can get off the ball, but like I said, they can’t bend. That was something he also worked on, being able to continue to stay close to the ground, stay where they can’t reach you, and be explosive during it. I think he was excellent in that category.”

Dropping Into Coverage In Bucs Defense Won’t Be A Problem

One of the bigger question marks around YaYa Diaby’s game as it translates to the Bucs defense is his ability to drop back into coverage. In certain situations Bucs head coach and defensive play-caller Todd Bowles will routinely drop his edge defenders in space. Joe Tryon-Shoyinka nearly had an interception last year dropping in coverage, and Anthony Nelson had one called back due to a penalty.

Diaby was such a disruptive force getting after the quarterback at Louisville that dropping in coverage was not something he was asked to do often. But his position coach has no doubt he has the ability and the drive to be able to do it at the next level. 

“Well, that was not something we did very much, because he was so valuable just destroying things going straight forward,” Ivey said. “But there’s no doubt, YaYa, anything he puts his mind to, he’ll be able to do. He’s got great length and then he showed some great mobility this year, chasing down screens and doing some things in space. So I have no questions about whether he will be able to play well in space. He will do a great job dropping into the flats or dropping into the hole or if he needs to cover a back or a tight end or whatever else, he’ll be excellent. I think he’ll do a great job with that.”

YaYa Diaby Isn’t Going To Shy Away From Hard Work

Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo By: USA Today

Like all rookies entering the NFL, there are certainly things Diaby will have to improve about his game as he transitions to the next level. But he doesn’t lack the work ethic to make it happen. Louisville outside linebackers coach Mark Ivey believes working with the Bucs coaches and continuing to be a student of the game will help him continue his growth as a player.

“I think that he can continue to work on getting better with his hands, being more violent. And I do think he did a good job with that, especially speed-to-power, being able to get that punch, to set that pad back, to create the space to get tight to the fight and get to that quarterback,” Ivey said. “But I do think anybody can always get better with their hand fighting. Anybody can always get better with their vision – seeing what they’re attacking, being able to remove blocking surfaces so that you can then be free to make more sacks and more tackles for loss.

“I’m sure they’ll have a million drills for him to continue to be explosive, but also to be very accurate and very precise with his hands, his elbows, his wrists, and his inner working to fight with his hands.”

If there’s one thing Ivey knows, it’s that the Bucs are getting someone who is going to have a positive attitude no matter the situation and is going to put in the work to make plays and be the most successful and disruptive player he can be.

“I don’t remember too many times you don’t see him with a smile on his face,” Ivey said. “If we won a game, he came in ready to work. And if we lost a game, he came in ready to work. Things are going haywire on the sideline in a game that’s tight or getting out of hand, and he’s the most poised and confident. He has no ego and just wants to get better. So I mean, think the Bucs are going to be extremely happy with him and I hope he’ll be there for a long time making a lot of plays.”