Teitum Tuioti

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Duck and Cover

Oregon likely has the best DL in the country this season. All 4 of their starters (Tuioti, Matayo Uiagelelei, Bear Alexander and A'Mauri Washington) are projected to be early round NFL draft picks next year. Their backups go 5-star recruit, 4-star recruit, 4-star recruit and 4-star recruit. So, I imagine the younger backups could someday be draft prospects themselves.

One reason experts like Tuioti is his dad is a very experienced DL coach and currently is Oregon's DL coach. One year he was an assistant with the Cleveland Browns, on the same staff as Kyle Shanahan, Mike McDaniel, Jeff Hafley and Aaron Glenn.

Several experts believe that Tuioti has the potential to climb into the 1st round, but they want him to improve his pass rush production. One expert already has Tuioti in the 1st round. Something to keep in mind when looking at Tuioti's stats is his role in Oregon's defense sometimes intentionally didn't have him go all out trying to get sacks.

I'm not a football coach, so maybe some of you who coached or played the game will have more insight. According to their DC, who was their co-DC in 2025, Oregon has changed their system every season and might do so again in 2026. He says that in 2023 they were a 4-man outside leveraged nickel defense, in 2024 were a 3-man inside leverage nickel defense, then in 2025 became a 4-man umbrella safety scheme. It is TBD what type of defense they will play in 2026, partly because the other co-DC left.

Inside their scheme, Tuioti plays a hybrid position. It resembles what is sometimes called a LEO or Elephant linebacker. On Oregon's depth chart, they call it a Jack linebacker. What confuses me is that normally the hybrid Jack is a weakside LB. Sometimes, Tuioti was on the weakside, but more often he was aligned on the strong side, opposite of how you'd expect him to be aligned.

There are a couple of reasons I think his positioning is important. First, instead of being right on the LOS, Tuioti is about 1 yard further off the line than the other 3 DL. He almost always is in a 2-point stance standing up, while the other DL are all in 3-point stances. Second, by often using him on the side of the formation where the run more frequently would go, he can't just pin his ears back and rush the QB, he has to read the run keys and sometimes jam the TE or the RB. In other words, he's not the featured sack artist in their scheme. Tuioti does much of the dirty work and has a key role in clamping down on run plays. Tuioti had 9.5 sacks last season, so it isn't like he didn't get to the QB at all. Something to watch this season is whether he is used in the same manner or if his role changes and if so, does it result in more pure pass rushing opportunities for him.

 

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Part 1: Background

Name, school: Teitum Tuioti, Oregon. True senior.

Size, estimated speed: Listed 6'3'' tall and 263 pounds in 2025. Draftscout 6'1 3/4'' tall, 263 pounds, 4.68 seconds in 40. DraftBuzz 4.70 seconds in 40. Brian Bosarge 4.58 to 4.68 seconds in 40. HC said he was about 215 pounds when he arrived at Oregon. Listed as 245 pounds in 2023, 255 pounds in 2024.

3-star and 4-star recruit. Played SR season in Oregon, first 3 years of HS in Nebraska. One of 7 children. He's the middle child. Has 3 brothers who play college football (one DL, two as LBs). Older sister played college volleyball. Dad played DL for Hawaii and has been a DL coach at a number of different schools, including Hawaii, Cal, Michigan, Nebraska and Oregon. One year he was a defensive quality control and assistant DL coach for the Cleveland Browns. Moved to Oregon when his dad got hired to join Dan Lanning's staff.

In HS, listed as 6'3'' tall, 220 pounds, 78'' wingspan, 32'' vertical jump. Played TE and OLB in HS. As SR, had 84 tackles, 30 TFLs, 13 sacks, FF, 2 FR, 2PD and an INT for a TD, plus 24-446-6 receiving on offense.

Was slender in HS. Didn't go to football camps, part of the reason he wasn't highly recruited. As a HS recruit, wasn't projected to be a future NFL draft pick, just a college starter. Enrolled early at Oregon in December of 2022. His HS coach assumed that if Tuioti got early playing time for Oregon, it would be as a pass coverage LB and was surprised when he had dinner with his former player that season and saw that Tuioti had gained about 30 pounds.

Was shaken up in 5th game of 2025 season. I was unable to find info about major injuries, but he wore a brace on his left leg earlier in his career, making me wonder if he had a knee injury at some point.

Reputation for having a strong work ethic. Grounded and family oriented, good natured, well thought out answers to questions, positive contributor to team culture, relationship centric with brotherhood mentality towards his teammates.

PFN impact score of 81.9 (21st in nation). 12.3% pressure rate (133rd), 30 pressures, 7 sacks, 57 tackles, 10 TFLs (tied 2nd), 12 QB hits, 12 splash plays (14th) in 12 games, 545 defensive snaps. [Oregon played 3 CFP games, so I assume the metrics are based on the regular season games.]

2023 (13 games) 30 tackles (19 solo) 2 sacks, 4 TFLs, 1PD, 10 pressures, 78.4 PFF tackling grade, 256 defensive snaps.
2024 (14 starts) 58 tackles (31 solo) 5.5 sacks, 7.5 TFLs, 1PD, 1FF, 34 pressures, 80.1 PFF tackling grade, 75.1 overall PFF grade, 612 defensive snaps.
2025 (15 starts) 68 tackles (33 solo) 9.5 sacks, 16 TFLs, 5 PD, 2FF, 38 pressures, 81.2 PFF tackling grade, 82.7 pass rush grade, 80.0 run defense grade, 83.8 overall PFF grade.

Brian Bosarge: (+) Coach's son with master-level block recognition, rarely misreads keys, sets edge, powerful bull rush, high motor, short area speed, closes down passing lanes for PDs. (-) Short, length vs bigger OTs, counters when power rush stalls.
Paul Emery: (+) High motor and energy, never gives up on plays, heavy hands, jolts opponents with power, crosses face of run blockers, adjusts if QB climbs pocket or extends, keeps eyes on QB. (-) Not a prototypical frame, lacks length, OL get to his chest, not an elite athlete, hip tightness, not effective speed rush, has power but not speed, not used in pass coverage, bites on fakes and can be out of position, misses some tackles, lacks nuance in hand usage.
Shane Hallam mock draft 1st round, 31.
DraftBuzz early 2nd round projection, 39. (+) Heavy, powerful, strong vs run and pass, 47 run stops, best tackler in position group, only 6 missed tackles, bats passes at LOS. (-) Pedestrian top speed, limited bend around corner, lacks 1st step speed, ordinary in pass coverage, pass rush stalls out vs long OTs, no rare athletic traits.
NFLdraftHQ mock 2nd round, 51.
Ian Cummings mock draft 3rd round, 66.
Drafttek board 81, mock draft 3rd round, 69.
NFLMDD sim 70
PFF big board 74. Has potential to become 1st round prospect.
Travis May mock draft 3rd round, 80.
SticktotheModel sim 80, 13th EDGE.
Sam Teets preliminary board 3rd round tier, 83.
Tankathon 89, 15th EDGE.
PFN board 93, simulator 81, 3rd round. (+) Excellent proportional length, wingspan, intrinsic raw power capacity, natural leverage, stacks run blocks, high motor, 2nd effort pressures. (-) Lacks elite 1st step. Lacks precision pass rush moves, counters or bend to be a consistent pressure threat. Prone to overrunning runs, underdeveloped lower body strength.
FirstandTen 3rd round projection, but only 143 on board, which would be 5th round.

 

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Part 2: Strengths

Developmental upside. His frame isn't maxed out. Still physically maturing and has room to get more muscular. He was built almost like a WR and S when he was in HS. He added weight very quickly, but I wonder if it was all good weight. Might have been better to take a more gradual approach, even if it had meant not playing as much his first 2 years in school. Once he enters the NFL, I'd be tempted to redshirt him and plan on not playing him at all his 1st year and focus almost exclusively on working on his body, change his body fat composition and get stronger. Same thing with his technique, he's pretty raw. He's a high energy, motor guy, but doesn't harness that energy in an efficient way, so much of it becomes wasted. If he refined his posture, hand usage and footwork, I think it would unlock more power in his game and he'd be more difficult to block as a pass rusher. He's not NFL ready, but there are some raw tools a coach could work with. Have him learn moves then spoon feed him as a situational pass rusher or rotational backup, let him learn slowly and gain experience. Don't try to throw him in the fire as a rookie starter.

Rushed against both LT and RT. Played on both weak and strong side of the formation. Typically, was in a 2-point stance, which I think is good for playing in Rams scheme. His team has tweaked their defensive scheme during the time he's been on the roster, so he's had to learn new things. Oregon sometimes was multiple with their fronts, so showed different looks. I thought the 2024 season had more looks that were similar to how the Rams play, not as much in 2025. Faced quality opposing OTs who were drafted in 2026 or will be drafted in 2027, wasn't at a low level of competition.

Experts say that he has a slow 1st step, but I disagree. His 1st step is fine. Anticipates the snap and times his get off well, sometimes simultaneous with the snap. Remember, in their scheme he's off the LOS, typically with his helmet at the bottom of the jersey numbers of the other 3 DL. On one snap, he gets a great jump as ball is snapped, so when his helmet crosses the LOS, all the other 3 DL are still half a yard on the other side of the LOS, not yet out of their stances, while Tuioti is upright and sprinting upfield. Another play, Tuioti's 1st step is more explosive than the opposite DE's step, so after 1 step his helmet is half a yard further upfield than the other DE's helmet. Perfect 3rd down distance for true pass rush, quick first step by Tuioti, smokes the TE, then flattens and pressures the QB, just missing a sack fumble opportunity.

Energetic, hyper style, like he's a video game character that ate a power-up, so now he's 25% faster than all the other players on the field. One play, he pass rushes and bounces off the RT and RB, sees the QB scrambling, reverse spins from the middle of the field and pursues all the way to the sideline. Pursues hard from the backside.

Left unblocked on backside of run, other side of the formation, launches himself down the line like a human missile, Hollywood stuntman style, smashing into the RB for run stuff.

Natural athleticism for position. Nice swim move over RB pass blocking. Fluid spin counter to retrace towards the front of the pocket. Good agility as a looper, able to maintain speed into the backfield.

Has limited length but uses his length well. Strong 1 and 2 arm extensions. Understands how to keep his gap side arm free so that he can control his gap assignment and tackle the RB in the hole.

Carter Smith is one of the best OL prospects in the draft and is projected on multiple boards as a 1st round pick. He's probably a LG in the pros but played LT for Indiana. Smith doesn't have good lateral quickness in his pass set but still, Tuioti got Smith to click his heels and almost fall down by faking a bull rush, attacking outside, then at the top of the rush cutting back inside. The pass came out too quickly before he could get to the QB but I'd call it a win on that rep vs a top prospect.

The way he was aligned often put him in the direction of the run on RPOs, so if the QB pulled the ball, he was the guy who could try to jump up and try to deflect the pass, part of the reason he got PDs. The flip side of this, however, is that if he just charged upfield blindly, the QB would have just handed the ball to the RB. So, the fake is basically holding up his pass rush.

Capable run defender shedding solo run blocks. Consistent effort trying to shed run blocks. Can abuse TEs who are weak blockers. Nice job stacking TE at POA, sheds to tackle the RB. Good stack and shed vs move TE. Stacked and shed RT. Warrior mentality stuffing TEs, then stuffing the run or getting TFL. Creased TE to penetrate into backfield. Hit move TE so hard, he might have given the TE a concussion.

Very disruptive in the backfield when he triggers and gambles, can blow up plays. Suited for a blitz heavy or attacking defensive scheme that takes risks.

Sometimes used in shallow zone coverage, even one time in the slot where he tried to jam the WR. Decent small area movement skills in space. Nice lateral slide step when he was in pass coverage, adequate functional athleticism for zone blitz drops. Light on his feet for size, decent COD. Critical play late in 4th quarter, as slot defender over TE, when the TE catches pass on shallow crosser, DE shows good speed running all the way across the field and chopping down the TE to prevent TD.

 

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Part 3: Weaknesses

I have a ton of issues with Tuioti as a prospect. I think he's vastly overrated by the experts. If Tuioti didn't play for Oregon and was from a smaller school, I don't think he'd be a highly ranked draft prospect. Let's just think about this logically for a moment. Get a piece of paper (or your phone for all you younger people) and make a list of Tuioti's measurements and play traits. Go through each one step-by-step and see how they compare vs a different prospect. If we do this, do you know who looks like a better NFL prospect than Tuioti? Daniel Hardy, who the Rams drafted in the 7th round in 2022 out of Montana State. Hardy is currently listed by the Bears as 6'2'' and 255 pounds. He has 33 1/2'' arms and an 81'' wingspan. He ran 4.69 seconds in the 40. Hardy is primarily a special teams player for the Bears and has zero career sacks.

Tuioti was completely dominated by some of the OTs he faced in 2025. Players who were middle round draft picks made him look so incompetent that he looked like a future UDFA. I'm not talking about it being an even situation where sometimes the offense won and sometimes the defense won, it was a completely one-sided affair where Tuioti was completely taken out of the game and had no impact. It is a huge red flag if a 4th rounder who might end up being a backup in the NFL dominates you so thoroughly. If you play like that in training camp or preseason games, you're well on your way to not even making the roster. Yet, experts are talking about this guy as a potential 1st round pick? I don't get it.

One guy who handled him, I have no idea what happened to him, I don't see any information about him getting signed as an UDFA or getting a try-out invitation. By the looks of things, that OT's football career ended last year after his college eligibility was over. He was just some random, normal college guy. A RT projected to be a 5th to 7th round pick next year completely ate him up. Tuioti couldn't do anything, looked like a true freshman trying to play against a senior. Iowa had an UDFA tight end who physically dominated Tuioti, including burying him at the POA on a solo run block. I'm not as concerned if Carter Smith gets you, but when you have so many bad reps against marginal or non-NFL level opponents, something isn't right.

DJ Vonnahme, the very young and inexperienced Iowa TE we looked at before, is generally a terrible blocker. He might have been one of the worst blockers in college football last year. Some of his best blocking reps in 2025 came against Tuioti. On inside zone run, DJV locks up Tuioti, sealing him off so that RB can get through hole. Nice pop on move block by DJV, then 2nd hit on DE to seal him off from backside of run. Nice base block by DJV, standing up and delaying DE, keeping Tuioti from getting to the action. Nice sift block by DJV vs DE. As base TE, DJV working combo block at POA does solid job turning DE out wide, creating nice bubble for RB. If you make Vonnahme look like a good blocker, that is a bad sign. Just wait until Vonnahme adds more muscle and improves his technique.

His short arms and lack of height are both serious weaknesses. His body type and frame say backup player, not an NFL starter.

Tuioti is too small and sometimes really struggles to anchor. Regularly put on skates by double teams, even a 2TE double team where DJV was one of the TEs. Gets shoved backwards off the LOS. Gets overpowered on solo run blocks by bigger and stronger opponents. When he faced NFL sized linemen, Tuioti looked like a LB trying to play DE, like he was 240 pounds. Solo TE run block pushed him off the LOS. LG grabs him and torques him out of the hole on outside zone, huge hole for RB. Wide zone, the OT bursts diagonally and displaces DE with solo run block then torques the DE out of the gap, creating a huge hole for the RB. Short yardage run, LT gets superior leverage and pushes DE a yard off the LOS.

LT and LG combo block absolutely obliterates Tuioti at the POA, driving him 5 yards off the LOS, opening an enormous gap for the RB. Chewed up and spit out by TE/TE double team block. LT torques him out of gap and tosses DE to the side like a rag doll. It was even worse in 2024.

Tried to jam TE, but the TE pushes him off, wins leverage on shallow crosser for chunk gain.

Very vulnerable to getting washed laterally or knocked off balance from the side. He bends at the waist, his COG is too high, his helmet pointing towards the opponent, too far over his toes, his legs not bending at the knees properly, too upright. His stiff body positioning robs him of lower body power, leverage and a more stable base, causing him to play like a smaller or weaker player. TE combo block knocked him violently sideways moving him out of his gap. Pass block help block by RT knocked him to ground. Sometimes buries his helmet into the blocker. Pushed inside by TE combo block, widening the run lane at the POA on a critical play late in the 4th quarter. Ducked his head forward, getting washed too wide against outside zone.

He's a high effort player more than he is a technician. Pretty surprising given that his dad is a DL coach, but his dad took more of a hands-off approach to his son's development, he didn't try to force football on him, he's not one of those controlling dads trying to relive their glory days through their sons. Not enough quick sheds on run blocks, can get stuck too long on the block, unable to get to the POA. Stuck on RT block, too slow to disengage.

Has no plan for how to deal with the outside hand of the OT, so when he pass rushes outside, almost always gets smothered and the rush stalls. I don't even understand what he's trying to do, because swiping down just the inside hand isn't enough, how do you expect to beat the OT with that move?

Lacks sudden twitch to string together pass rush moves. Too robotic and simplistic with his pass rushes, not quick to execute the move or counter so there any stress or constant pressure on the OT in the middle of the rush. So easy, some plays it feels like the OT could have blocked him with only one hand. Has no counters if his pass rush stalls, he just stays stuck. Not creative as pass rusher.

At the apex of the rush, he doesn't have the flexibility to dip or drop his hips, he awkwardly crouches down, his COG too high. Even if his get-off is good, doesn't maintain enough speed through the middle part of the pass rush.

As looper, never is able to convert speed-to-power into the OG to collapse the front of the pocket, the rush gets stuffed.

Insufficient closing burst to get to the QB. Habitually a couple steps late to get to the QB when he had advantage or was unblocked, pass already gone.

One time, used in A-gap pass rushing against RG and was ineffective, got stuffed.

Multiple sacks that were cheap and not impressive. Weak club vs solo TE pass block, allows TE to recover, getting escorted to back of pocket, weak RB help, but poor pocket awareness by QB and holds ball too long, so DE eventually gets to QB. LT in great shape vs DE, has it handled, but RB chip block instead of helping knocks the DE inside, causing LT to slip off of the block, gift-wrapping a sack that DE didn't earn. Got a cheap sack when the TE and RB accidentally ran into each other. Got 2nd effort QB pressure when QB held ball too long.

Below average length hinders his ability to deflect passes.

Gets rotated out, which is a key reason he can go balls to the wall and fly around like a madman. On some of his best plays where he shows his high motor, he's off the field the very next snap. If the offense picks up a 1st down and drives get extended, he comes off the field. Per PFN stats, Tuioti was 56th in the nation at his position in total snaps played. The EDGE who played the most snaps in the country in the same number of games in 2025 had 748 snaps, over 200 more snaps than Tuioti. Reuben Bain in the same number of games had 614 snaps, more than an entire game's worth of snaps more than Tuioti.

Twice he chased after the RB on read options, leaving huge openings for the QB to run after pulling the ball. Committed too soon to interior gap against play action, would have left defense vulnerable if the ball had been given to the RB.

Doesn't have great awareness and natural instincts on the fly. At the very end of the game, 4th and goal, used as spy behind the DL like an ILB, Tuioti takes the wrong angle, running into the back of the DL, allowing QB to run for the go-ahead TD, never in position to even attempt a tackle.

Has some special teams value, because of his high energy, effort, tackling ability and decent athleticism, but he only has average speed and doesn't have length to block punts and kicks, so he probably would only be an average special teams player.

 

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Part 4: Draft Grade and Pro Comp

5th round grade, Brennan Jackson (5th round 2024, Rams, Washington State).

Like Tuioti, Jackson had a ridiculous motor in college. Jackson flew all over the field like a madman. I was interested in him as a prospect, because I thought he'd be a good ST player and a backup candidate. Jackson was injury prone in college. We lost him to a waiver claim and recently the Raiders put him on IR, so he potentially won't play at all in 2026. If Jackson and Tuioti were in the same draft, I'd take Jackson.

Jackson is bigger. He's taller at 6'4'' tall, about the same weight, with better closing speed. He ran 4.69 seconds in the 40. His advanced metrics his final season in college beat Tuioti's 2025 season. Jackson had an 84.3 PFN impact score (better than Tuioti) on 587 snaps, 40 pressures (10 more than Tuioti), 9 sacks (more than Tuioti), 13.2% pressure rate (better than Tuioti) and 14 QB hits.

Teitum Tuioti has solid football character, decent athleticism and is a fairly balanced player against the run and the pass. He's a decent candidate to stay on an NFL roster as a backup. I don't view him, however, as a future starter and I certainly don't see him as a potential 1st round prospect. I don't understand why so many experts love this player. He's not a good pass rusher and he isn't a dominant run defender. He got a bunch of splash plays in 2025 that can make for a nice highlight video but he's not that great of a player on a play-to-play basis if you watch the entire game. I don't think there's anything special about him. I see him as just an average, ordinary guy. Doesn't have a high ceiling but a high enough floor to give him a chance in the pros.