Khalid Kareem Overview
Position: Defensive End
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 268 pounds
College: Notre Dame
NFL Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: Did not participate due to injury
Hand Size: 10 7/8 inches
Khalid Kareem 2019 NFL Draft Profile
Khalid Kareem was a highly regarded high school football recruit coming out of the city of Detroit, Michigan. Many of the local press were quite surprised when Kareem selected Notre Dame over Michigan as his choice to play college football. He explained the decision came down to two schools that offered a combination of great academics and a rich college football tradition. In the end, The Fighting Irish was the best fit for him.
At first, Kareem didn’t see much action on the field (four games) in his freshman season at South Bend. In his sophomore campaign, Kareem played in all 13 games for the Irish as a key second-team performer. He recorded 21 tackles and three sacks as a rotational down lineman in the lineup. It was his junior season when Kareem became a full-time defensive starter. In 13 games, he recorded 42 tackles (10 for loss), 4.5 sacks and five pass breakups. Kareem continued his dominant play in his senior year at Notre Dame, he had 46 tackles (10 for loss) and led the defense with 5.5 sacks for the season.
Strengths
- great hands that keep blockers away from his body;
- keen ball awareness on running plays;
- a cerebral defender;
- excellent interior pass rusher;
- keeps his pads and body low in short yard situations;
- good leverage in neutralizing blockers upon impact;
- pursues opposite field ball carriers downfield.
Weaknesses
- lacks speed off the line of scrimmage;
- poor lateral movement;
- must learn to disengage a blocker faster;
- lacks variety in his overall game;
- Needs to add muscle to play interior tackle position;
- struggles as a standup defender.
NFL Comparison: Geno Atkins
Teams With Need at Position: Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Chargers, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins
Projection: Fourth or fifth round
Bottom Line on Khalid Kareem
Kareem is a different kind of pass rusher as he uses more of a bull rush style that compensates for his lack of explosiveness coming off the snap of the football. Ideally, Kareem is best suited to play in a traditional 4-3 defense. His run defending skills are excellent, but he must become a more potent pass rusher if he’s going to start in the NFL. At worse, he needs to develop more counter pass-rushing moves that puts him in the conversation as a possible situational down defender. No question, Kareem could become a valuable down linemen in short yardage situations, especially near the goal line. If a team has patience, then Kareem is worth the gamble as could develop into a quality run-stuffing defender who has limited success in getting to the quarterback.
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