After experiencing a long-awaited breakout season in 2023 with JMU, Mikail Kamara has become a top pass rusher in the nation in 2024. Here is a 2025 NFL Draft Early Scouting Report and film analysis on him.
Overview, Film Analysis, and Early 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report of Indiana EDGE Mikail Kamara
Measurables:
- 6’1”
- 265 lbs
Player Background:
The Stone Bridge High School (VA) graduate was a zero-star recruit in the 2020 class and joined the James Madison Dukes’ football team. Mikail Kamara saw some action in the team’s mini-spring season with three sacks in six games but didn’t appear in any contests in their actual schedule. An injury then kept him out of the entirety of 2021, being granted a medical redshirt at the season’s conclusion. He finally got into some game action in his junior campaign, playing in five games and starting four.
Four sacks and 0.5 tackles-for-loss in that timespan set him up for a much bigger 2023. Kamara started all 12 of the Dukes games in 2023 and was one of the Sun Belt’s best pass rushers. He racked up 51 tackles, 7.5 sacks, two pass deflections, and a whopping four forced fumbles. To improve his draft stock in his final year, he entered the portal as a three-star transfer and committed to Indiana. Through 11 games he’s accumulated a career-best 9.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and 42 tackles.
Accolades:
- Second Team All-Sun Belt (2023)
- Midseason Bednarik Award Watchlist (2024)
Strengths/Pros:
Despite being a shorter and heavier pass rusher, he moves extremely well and is an explosive freak. Kamara has an incredibly strong get-off out of a three-point stance and contorts himself easily. While not often, he has shown some ability to dip below tackles to win his leverage. His pursuit speed is impressive and he closes out plays in all areas. He’s very shifty working both inside and off the edge, winning reps and disrupting many plays.
He’s able to correct himself fluidly after he wins at the line against the run, extending well toward ball carriers and making plays. Kamara flashes violence with his hands when attacking linemen and can rip his way into the backfield. His tackling is solid on the boundary, consistently stopping backs from breaking off big runs. He snaps off linemen quickly and can drive into the backfield with force and intent.
Weaknesses/Cons:
As with most players built similarly to him, there are valid questions about how Kamara’s frame will translate to the NFL. He doesn’t have the length that most teams desire out of elite pass rushers and is a much stockier player. These issues are seen most notably in his tendency to drive upward rather than winning low and getting lost on the inside at times in a crowd. He tends to use inside moves prematurely and can get stuck between the tackles.
To combat these concerns, he needs to improve his arm utilization in the passing game. Too often, he’s late getting his hands up and just misses passes. Kamara’s stability anchor is also subpar, getting moved off the line at times. Likely a more interior rusher at the next level, he has deficiencies in exploding out of a four-point stance that needs to be cleaned up.
Potential Team Fits:
NFL Projection:
The size concerns that come with Kamara’s profile will likely give some teams pause in their confidence in him as a prospect, but his pass-rushing skills are undeniable. Undersized pass-rush specialists like Bryce Huff have had their share of very productive NFL seasons, and Kamara can follow that path. His ability to move at a high level suppresses some of his physical limitations and his skillset paints him as a projectable next-level pass rusher.
Prospect Grade:
- Late Second Round to Early Third Round
Film Exposures:
- 2024 vs. Nebraska
- 2024 vs. Washington
- 2024 vs. Maryland
Main Image: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
