Dreaming of Dolphins
South Florida draft prospect Abdullah would love to play for his hometown
AVENTURA — Yasir Abdullah, a South Florida native and Louisville linebacker who’s a prospect in the upcoming NFL draft, has memories of growing up essentially in the shadows of Hard Rock Stadium, which the Miami Dolphins call home.
“When I was a kid, it was just crazy driving past it, like, ‘I want to be there,’” Abdullah told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Wednesday as he preps for the NFL scouting combine in two weeks. He’s working out at Bommarito Performance Systems in Aventura, along with dozens of other draft prospects training locally.
“It would be a dream to play for the Dolphins because I’m from Miami, but whatever team picks me up, I’ll be grateful.”
When the late April draft rolls around, the Dolphins could very well be looking for a linebacker. Possibly one who is versatile to play inside and out, to rush the passer and play coverage — and, preferably, one who can contribute on special teams.
Abdullah could have some of the things the Dolphins might be looking for from a late-round selection. He is from Miramar, starred in football and track at Miami Carol City High before attending Louisville and his father, Xavier McCray, was on the Florida Gators’ 1996 national championship team.
Abdullah primarily played Sam linebacker with the Cardinals. Around 6-foot-1, 234 pounds, he figures to be an athletic stand-up edge rusher in the NFL. The pass rush is his specialty, after combining for 19 ½ sacks between his 2021 and 2022 seasons.
He also developed the versatility in pass coverage over his college career, intercepting two passes in his fifth and final season at Louisville, while owning a 46.8 quarterback rating against when targeted.
“I just kept progressing throughout the years,” Abdullah said. “Stay the course. Trust the process.
“There’s always something to improve — my pass rush, my drops, my run destruction. There’s always something to work on. I hope one NFL team can look at me and take their time on me to see what I got.”
Abdullah said he feels “comfortable” covering running backs out of the backfield, which is something Miami struggled with last season. He also possesses the speed to potentially stay with mobile quarterbacks, another troublesome area for the Dolphins defense in 2022.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, despite his offensive background, has said the edge is his favorite position in all of football. Miami, after standout outside linebackers Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb, has Melvin Ingram and Andrew Van Ginkel entering free agency this offseason, along with inside linebackers Elandon Roberts, Duke Riley and Sam Eguavoen.
The Dolphins could be looking at a revamped linebacker corps as new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio takes over.
With the combine looming, Abdullah can rely on his track background as a sprinter between time at Miramar and Carol City High as he looks to maximize his 40-yard dash time.
“I just lock into my track self,” Abdullah said. “I wear my tights, wear low socks when I’m wearing my cleats. It’s like running a race, but I’m going against time.”
Abdullah got to show some of his versatility earlier in this draft process at the East-West Shrine Bowl, where he also felt he proved he can be a special teams contributor.
He got to meet with most of the NFL teams there, including the Dolphins. The interview aspect will again be emphasized at Indianapolis’ combine.
“I want them to know they’re going to get a hard-working guy,” Abdullah said. “I’m going to do whatever’s good for the team. Great guy to talk to, great in the community, as well, and just all-around guy.”
In his high school career in South Florida, Abdullah originally transferred to Carol City as a defender that was trying to fit in as a tight end because the Chiefs defense was mostly set, but late coach Aubrey Hill’s offense didn’t have many tight end packages either. A spot on the edge opened up and defensive coordinator Damon Cogdell, who previously won a state title at the helm for Miramar, asked if he could rush the passer defensively. The rest was history.
Abdullah developed into a touted recruit that went from playing defensive end to outside linebacker. He was a key cog on the Chiefs’ 2016 Class 6A state championship defense.
As a junior that year, he once earned a high school player of the week honor from the Miami Dolphins. He was invited to the stadium for a home game and stepped out onto the field to be awarded.
“It was just electrifying,” he said about seeing the NFL atmosphere, “like, ‘I’m going to be at this point in my life one day.’”