Bengals Pick Notre Dame’s Khalid Kareem In Fifth Round
Khalid Kareem waited his turn for offers to show up in high school. He waited until his junior year to step into Notre Dame’s starting lineup. Sitting through a few rounds of the NFL Draft was a test of a skill he had already developed: patience.
His time came, just like before. A bit delayed, but entirely expected.
The Cincinnati Bengals selected Kareem, a 6-4, 268-pound defensive lineman, with the first pick of the fifth round and No. 147 overall. He is the fifth Notre Dame player taken this year and the 44th since 2011. Additionally, he is the fifth member of Notre Dame’s 2016 class to be drafted.
Heading into the draft, Kareem was projected to land anywhere from the late third round to the fifth round.
“His real value is the all-around ability, not a top-flight pass rusher, he’s a guy with good hand usage, knows how to win the leverage battle, the scheme versatility — he can play a little inside/outside game there as well,” ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said on the draft broadcast. “You talk about a guy that could be able to get you maybe five sacks a year, he’s not going to be a double-digit sack guy, probably a guy you want to spot, find a way to get him involved in the defensive front.”
Per Spotrac’s rookie wage scale, Kareem will sign a four-year deal with $2.99 million.
Kareem’s journey to Notre Dame began with a delayed start to his recruitment. He did not hold an offer until midway through in his junior season at Farmington Hills (Mich.) Harrison High School. But once he earned the first one, from Bowling Green in October 2014, his stock soared. The Detroit area native reeled in national offers and overtures from both in-state Big Ten schools. Ivy League offers came, too.
Kareem, ranked as four-star recruit and top-250 player, initially spurned Michigan for Alabama during the summer of his junior year. That fall, though, he reopened his recruitment about a month after taking his official visit to Alabama and set a visit for Notre Dame soon after. He committed a week after returning from South Bend.
In four years at Notre Dame, Kareem had 13.0 sacks, 26.0 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and eight passes defended. He recorded no stats in 2016, but slid into the rotation the following season, emerging from nowhere to notch 5.5 tackles for loss in 301 snaps as a sub-package player. His 3.0 sacks were tied for second on the team.
“For him, the next step becomes, how do we get him up to 60 plays?” head coach Brian Kelly said in spring 2018. He was a 20-play guy for us last year.”
Kareem proved capable, and with doubled snaps came a predictable breakout in 2018, his first year as a starter at strong-side defensive end. He grabbed the role after Jay Hayes left as a graduate transfer. The splash was immediate. In a season-opening win over Michigan, Kareem had eight tackles, 1.5 stops for loss and a sack. He was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week.
Kareem ended 2018 with 10.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. Pro Football Focus credited him with 37 total pressures. He was the unflashy but productive and steady presence on Notre Dame’s defense. He bypassed the draft and returned for one more year, wanting to finish his degree.
His role continued as a senior. Kareem was Notre Dame’s highest graded defender (85.0), per PFF, with a team-best 44 pressures. He had 10.0 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and recovered a fumble for a touchdown as the final touch on a Nov. 30 blowout of Stanford. In a win over Duke, though, Kareem suffered a torn labrum in his shoulder. He put off surgery and didn’t reveal the extent of the injury until February’s NFL Combine.
“I know my 60 percent was better than some guys’ 100 percent,” Kareem said. “I wanted to finish what I started with my guys. I was a captain of the team, and I knew my guys needed me there. I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror knowing that I had something left in the tank and I didn't give it to my team.”
Kareem had surgery in late January and did not work out at the combine. His goal was to be healthy and participate in a full workout at Notre Dame’s April 1 pro day, but that was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. He settled for posting a video of a personal pro day on his Twitter feed.
The Bengals (2-14 in 2019) had not drafted an edge player through four rounds. They took a pair of linebackers with their two prior picks: Wyoming’s Logan Wilson (third round) and Appalachian State’s Akeem Davis-Gaither. They ranked 28th in the NFL in sacks.
Kareem is the seventh Notre Dame defensive linemen drafted since 2011.
Notre Dame's previous 2020 selections are tight end Cole Kmet (second round, Chicago Bears), wide receiver Chase Claypool (second, Pittsburgh Steelers), defensive end Julian Okwara (third, Detroit Lions) and cornerback Troy Pride Jr. (fourth, Carolina Panthers).
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