ALLEN PARK — They did it. They finally did it.
The Detroit Lions selected Boise State edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein with the 196th overall selection in the sixth round. Many considered the defensive edges the top need for the Lions entering this draft.
But Brad Holmes does not draft based on need, and the Lions general manager once again proved that. Hassanein is described as a high-motor, tough prospect who has played through multiple injuries to be out there for his teammates as a team-voted captain.
Does that sound like a Lions fit? A tough, team-voted captain with a powerful punch at 6-foot-3, 267 pounds who fits a need and projects as a fit.
Hassanein grew up in Cairo, Egypt, moving to the United States in 2018. The 23-year-old started playing football in 2019, and has continued to take off and hit new heights ever since.
With his selection, he becomes the first Egyptian player ever drafted.
“I didn’t know what I was doing at the beginning,” Hassanein said at the combine. “But God is so good. One day I didn’t even know what the NFL was. One day I was watching Aaron Donald play and I was like, what high school does he go to? My brother was like, ‘Bro, that’s the NFL.’ I was like, ‘the NFL? What’s that?’”
He said from that moment he wanted to make the NFL, going to camps and trying to learn as much about the game as possible. Hassanein would watch YouTube videos on technique and how to understand what’s happening in front of you and why, and everything he could to learn.
Hassanein, who played on the inside and outside across four seasons at Boise State, was also highly productive. Through the last two seasons, Hassanein posted 33 tackles for loss and 22 sacks, with two forced fumbles.
When he played on the interior defensive line, he said he weighed around 300 pounds. But with the move to the edge, he played at 273 pounds this past season.
Pro Football Focus ranked the Boise State standout 129th among all prospects, praising him for his effort and physical style of play. PFF and The Athletic each had Hassanein as an early Day 3 prospect.
“Hassanein is a try-hard edge rusher with plenty of redeeming qualities that will endear him to coaches,” Dane Brugler writes in his scouting report. “He lacks high-level athletic traits, though, and will be low on an NFL depth chart until he improves his predictability as a pass rusher. Given his meager football experience, NFL teams are intrigued by his untapped upside.”
PFF cited his relentless motor and natural feel for beating blocks at the line of scrimmage are some of his strong suits. There are concerns his lack of height and length could limit his ceiling. But the Lions love a player who gives everything on every down, not to mention a captain who played through a torn labrum for his team.
For only playing football for six years, Hassanein’s versatility is impressive. He’s played inside and outside for four years, and continued to grow and make a bigger impact for a team that was playing in the College Football Playoff.
Hassanein had a sack, three tackles for loss and six tackles in Boise State’s playoff loss to Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl, for whatever it’s worth.
“The sky is the limit for me. I have the will to learn and I’m eager to learn,” Hassanein said at the combine. “I’m grateful for this opportunity. Not a lot of people get to come to the combine. Being one of them after after five years of American football and five years of learning the English language, I’m so grateful. God willing, I’ll be the first Egyptian to ever get drafted.
“That’s a huge honor to me and a huge honor to my country. NFL Africa just followed me yesterday. I’m so excited to get to the NFLPA and get them connected to Egypt because there’s a lot of people in Egypt who want to play football and, hopefully, one day, I’ll be that connection.”
