Top 10 linebackers in the 2019 NFL Draft

#7 Josiah Tauaefa, UTSA

A former two-star recruit at defensive end, it didn’t take Tauaefa to make his mark on the Roadrunners, as he set the all-time school record with 115 tackles in year one and was the first member of the program to be named Freshman All-American after a redshirt year. He also recorded six sacks and an INT that year. Tauaefa saw his sophomore year cut short by an injury, but after putting up similar stats to his freshman campaign last season – including 62 solo tackles – he decided to skip his final season with UTSA.

Tauaefa is a very fluid, natural athlete at 6’2”, 240+ pounds, who uses quick, choppy steps in the run game. He is unbelievable at shooting through on an opening on run plays or stretching out wide to force a cut-back inside. The former teammate of last year’s first-round pick Marcus Davenport showcased very sudden movements to get around blockers at the second level and is active with his hands to avoid any contact. He can navigate in traffic and flatten underneath blocks before finishing with elite closing burst.

Tauaefa is athletic enough to line up in the A-gap, scrape over the top to defend a speed option the opposite way and then still pivot back inside to bring down the tight-end on the shovel pass. His pursuit as a backside linebacker is off the chart and he leverages himself correctly to protect for cutbacks. Tauaefa does an excellent job mirroring the ball-carrier and is an explosive hitter, as you see and probably hear the pop when he collides with a ball-carrier, consistently moving forward once the contact is initiated.

The tackling machine looks very comfortable operating in space as well. He forces crossers to adjust the depths of their routes and can still shut down easy yardage on throws in the flats despite not opening his hips too soon. Tauaefa has the speed to flow with the zone-run fake and then still catch a receiver coming across the formation and he is quick to pull the trigger and race up on scrambling quarterbacks.

The UTSA standout displays good timing of the snap count as a blitzer, can power through the running back in protection, but also has an excellent swim move to get past him, which he uses to beat centers off the snap at times as well. Tauaefa wins plenty of matchups with offensive linemen sliding his way and consistently beats backs when they are one-on-one with him in man-protection schemes. He is also excellent at disguising pressure, when he jumps up to the line and even takes a step into the gap before bailing back out.

On a negative note, this kid guesses on some plays and runs himself into trouble, such as keying the quarterback on zone-read plays despite being the linebacker on the actual zone side and not ever having that responsibility from there (although that might have to do with trying to make a play with his team down by multiple scores).

Tauaefa gets lost too often when he has to turn and run with people downfield and can’t play the ball or the man properly anymore. And finally the level of competition is obviously a question mark, having had just two games against Power-Five competition in which the Roadrunners lost by less than two touchdowns these last three years.

What I love most about Tauaefa is how much he trusts his instincts and he has all the athletic tools and all-out effort to make impact players anywhere on the field. He might not be right every single time yet and coming to the pros will be a big jump for him, but I think he fits very well in today’s wide-open game. He has the potential to be another one of those diamonds in the rough.