UCLA Football: MLB Darius Muasau Lands With New York Giants in 6th Round of NFL Draft

The stud middle 'backer has a new home...

Darius Muasau / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Former UCLA linebacker Darius Muasau is now a member of the New York Giants.

The native of Hawaii was nabbed in the 6th Round (pick No. 183) by the G-Men. A lengthy process that saw Muasau transfer and jump up a level in competition resulted in him realizing his dream of becoming an NFL player.

Muasau was a tackling machine at Hawaii for three years before deciding to bet on himself by transferring to UCLA. This included two-straight years with at least 100 tackles.

Darius Muasau's headed to NY 🗽

📰: https://t.co/fNobypOWgP pic.twitter.com/gDdFrByRwU

— New York Giants (@Giants) April 27, 2024

As a first-year Bruin, he had a bit of an adjustment getting acclimated to a faster speed of play. Muasau did finish with 91 tackles as a senior -- though he did return for a fifth year in order to become more polished as a three-down player.

This past year, his game went up another level. Muasau finished with 75 tackles -- though he nabbed 10.5 tackles-for-loss and 4.0 sacks. His ability to diagnose plays and react accordingly was far better this year.

He played at a noticeably faster speed. In his first year, Muasau thought too much about which hole to hit, and in general his assignment responsibilities. Rather than be reactive, the time spent thinking led to him playing at a slower tempo.

In terms of his future at the pro level, he is a bit undersized. With that said, we've seen a plethora of 'undersized' middle linebackers succeed at the highest level historically speaking.

Muasau is not only tough and physical, but he's a guy who brings considerable leadership qualities to the table.

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