NFL Draft: Temple’s Rock Ya-Sin continues to climb the ladder

After transferring from D-II Presbyterian, Temple cornerback Rock Ya-Sin hopes to become only the fifth first-round NFL Draft pick in school history.

Abdurrahman Ibn Ya-Sin, otherwise known as “Rock,” was a highly regarded high school athlete coming out of Southwest DeKalb High School in Decatur, Georgia. Was a two-time state champion, even. So how did this 6-foot, 190-pound NFL prospect end up at Presbyterian College, an FCS program?

The sport discussed above is wrestling. Ya-Sin also played football in high school and ended up with the Presbyterian Blue Hose, currently of the Big South in the FCS. Presbyterian suddenly announced plans to move toward a non-scholarship route in the Pioneer Conference, and Ya-Sin was able to transfer to Temple for his senior season.

The move from Presbyterian, a small college in upstate South Carolina that’s not terribly far from Clemson, to Temple has paid big dividends for Ya-Sin. He’s now considered by some to be a first-round NFL prospect after just one season with the Owls, in which he compiled 47 tackles and two interceptions.

How will Ya-Sin perform after moving up another level of football?

Strengths

Ya-Sin impressed at practices leading up to the 2019 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., going toe-to-toe against players like Clemson’s Deebo Samuel. Moments like this were important to scouts to show that he can compete against the nation’s top wide receivers, such as this one captured by Dane Brugler at South Alabama’s indoor practice facility:

His size and physicality might have NFL teams drooling now, but his quickness has also drawn rave reviews from Senior Bowl practices (before running a 4.51 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine).

Scouts have noted the toughness in Ya-Sin, too, that understandably emanates from his experience as a two-time Georgia state champion wrestler.

Weaknesses

Critics point to Ya-Sin’s lack of experience, with only one year of competing at the FBS level — and “Power Six” accolades aside, the American Athletic is not one of the premier power conferences of Division I football.

Downfield speed is a concern, as well, in addition to subpar technique in coverage. His less-than-refined technique might lead to some inconsistency in one-on-one coverage.

Draft Expectations

Overall, it appears that Ya-Sin has the X-factor traits sought after by any NFL defensive backs coach in his size, durability, and toughness. He is relatively inexperienced and has faced few wideouts from NFL-caliber competition until this spring.

Looking at his potential, the magic word at this time of year, it’s reasonable to expect a team looking for a second or third-year starter to grab the Temple standout near the end of the 1st round.

Why not the Kansas City Chiefs? The squad ranked 31st out of 32 NFL teams in pass defense, allowing more than 273 yards per game through the air.

Prediction: First round, Chiefs at No. 29 overall.