UCLA's Jay Toia is Quietly Becoming a Favorite Within the Draft Community

The former UCLA interior defensive lineman has had a positive start to his pre-draft evaluations.
Nov 2, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; UCLA Bruins defensive lineman Jay Toia (93) and linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo (2) celebrate after a sack against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the first quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
Nov 2, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; UCLA Bruins defensive lineman Jay Toia (93) and linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo (2) celebrate after a sack against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the first quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
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A dominant force on Ikaika Malloe's defensive line, Jay Toia's impressive performances in Big Ten play have some already declaring Toia as a Day-3 steal. Standing at 6'3, 325 pounds, Toia looks to join Kenny Clark and Otito Ogbonnia as the next run-stopping Bruin in the NFL.

Toia is quietly becoming a known name around the NFL as more eyes have started to look at UCLA's defensive performances due to the rise of Carson Schwesinger's draft stock with many praising Toia's performance in the Bruins' 20-17 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Toia and company held Iowa running back and Big Ten rushing champion Kaleb Johnson to a then-season-low 49 rushing yards. Before that game, Johnson was averaging 128 yards per carry.

Not only is Toia an excellent player in his own right, but his genetic makeup also produces high-caliber athletes, as his brother Sione Ika won a national championship with LSU and a Big 12 title with Baylor. Ika is currently on the Kansas City Chiefs.

Toia's brother Soane plays for San Jose State and was a 2024 All-Mountain West First-Team selection. His brother, Abitoni, is a rugby player in New Zealand, his younger brother, George, is a four-star high school prospect and his cousin, Stanley Ta'ufo'ou, plays for Arizona.

When I spoke to Bill Sparks of Kade's Draft Room last week about Schwesinger, he, like many, caught Toia's outstanding play on tape. Sparks shared thoughts, saying, "He’s a sleeping giant on my big board and will clog up some serious lanes in the run game. This is a Jarran Reed type of player that some NFL team will take on day 3, and watch him log 100-plus games of run-stuffing DT play over his career."

Toia will be a run defender in the NFL, but he has also flashed some decent pass-rush moves as well, displaying an extremely underrated ability to hand-fight interior offensive linemen. As the process continues, Toia's ability to jump into the third or fourth round will depend on his Pro Day numbers.

If his numbers line up with the averages given for defensive tackles, Toia will be selected within the top 130 picks of the draft.

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Brock Vierra
BROCK VIERRA

Brock Vierra, a UNLV graduate, is the Los Angeles Rams Beat Writer On Sports Illustrated. He also works as a college football reporter for our On Sports Illustrated team.