NFL Draft Profile: Henry To'o To'o, Linebacker, Alabama Crimson Tide
In this story:
#10
Pos: LB
Ht: 6010
Wt: 227
Hand: 1028
Arm: 3268
Wing: 7738
40: 4.62
DOB: 1/5/2001
Hometown: Sacramento, CA
High School: De La Salle
Eligibility: 2023Henry To'o To'o
Alabama Crimson Tide
One-Liners
Athletically gifted WILL who is long and skinny. Needs to stop guessing.
Evaluation:
Athletic linebacker who can come downhill in a hurry and limit rushing yardage. To’o To’o has quick hands to stay clean when flowing to the sideline, taking advantage of his speed to make plays. His closing speed is very good. Linemen have a tough time locating and blocking him at the second level as he slips past blocks. In coverage, To’o To’o displays his speed, carrying slots and tight ends up the seam. He is physical, possessing the ability to shock blockers. Smart linebacker who communicates pre-snap to get his defense lined up. To’o To’o plays the run first causing him to be out of position after reading the mesh point. He leaves vacated areas behind on run-pass options and is too slow to adjust when the quarterback keeps the ball. In space, he takes bad angles causing him to miss easy tackles. Unfavorable angles and a lack of urgency prevents him from making plays to the sideline consistently. When playing through traffic in the hole, To’o To’o is not strong enough to consistently get runners down. Long and skinny linebacker with desirable athletic traits. To’o To’o guesses in the run game and when he does so correctly, he makes splash plays. His speed allows him to flow from sideline to sideline and carry opponents up the seam. He does not read the mesh point well, causing him to end up out of position. To’o To’o projects as a developmental weakside linebacker who has the athleticism and length to succeed in coverage and pursuit. He has to improve his processing skills to get on the field consistently. His speed should make him a special-teams contributor.
Background:
Raised in Sacramento, California. Five-star recruit according to 247Sports. Has seven siblings. Is half-Samoan, half-Tingan. Moved from Sacramento to Utah before eventually going back to the Bay Area. Favorite movie is “Friday.” Recreation and sports management major. Transferred from Tennessee to Alabama after his sophomore season. Born on January 5, 2001.
Grades
3rd Round
Latest News
Alabama head coach Nick Saban found great success in the transfer portal last season with the addition of linebacker Jabril Cox, who transferred up from the FCS level and went on to be drafted by the Dallas Cowboys (fourth round). This year, Saban seeks to strike gold once again from the portal at the same position, this time from the SEC ranks, as former Tennessee linebacker Henry To’oTo’o is expected to have an immediate impact on the Crimson Tide defense. “We're talking about a fine young man who's very intelligent, very instinctive player, very conscientious,” Saban said. “He wants to know everything about not only what he does, but everybody on the defense. He's got really good leadership qualities.” In fact, it sounds as if To’oTo’o, who strangely enough has yet to be listed on the Alabama website roster, could be handed play-calling duties on defense. At least, that is how it sounded while listening to Saban speak on media day. “I think that there's a lot of positives that he can bring, especially – you always want to have a great signal caller or quarterback type guy on defense. Regardless of what kind of player they are, those things really enhance the chances of all the other players on defense playing with confidence because they're confident in the call that they're getting, the adjustment that they're making and I think that's something that Henry can really add to us as well as being a very productive player.” In two seasons with the Volunteers, he accumulated 140 tackles, including 12.5 tackles for loss and created a handful of turnovers. Another strong season and To’oTo’o could be one and done in Tuscaloosa. - (07/26/21)
06/14/21 - Henry To’o To’o transferred from Tennessee, where he had 148 total combined tackles over the past two seasons, and will be immediately eligible. To’o To’o tended to play better with the Vols when he didn’t have to be the top player and he wouldn’t have to be in Tuscaloosa with the talent Alabama has in the other three linebacker spots in Harris, Will Anderson and Christopher Allen. To’o To’o will compete with players such as senior Jaylen Moody and junior Shane Lee, among others. (Tuscaloosa News)
