NFL Draft Expert Highlights USC DT Jay Tufele's Strengths and Weaknesses

Tufele missed USC's 2020 season and instead declared for the 2021 NFL Draft.

Sports Illustrated's NFL Draft Bible conducted a scouting report on USC defensive tackle Jay Tufele. 

Tufele opted out of USC's 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns, and declared straight for the NFL Draft. Tufele had 41 tackles (5.5 for loss), 3.5 sacks in 13 games played in 2019, and he sits at 6'3", 305 pounds.

NFL Draft Bible writes, 

"Tufele made up a fraction of one of the most talented defensive units in all of college football. Boasting a powerful frame for the position, Tufele is a gifted athlete who moves incredibly well for a man of his size. He makes some plays in pursuit that just shouldn’t be possible for an interior player with his type of size. There is a substantial amount of pass-rush upside here. Tufele can cover a lot of ground and has some notable closing burst to make a nice amount of plays outside his frame. He demonstrates a surprising amount of flexibility for the position, making a difficult matchup for opposing interior offensive linemen. In the run game, he flashes the ability to shoot gaps and create a variety of chaos in the backfield. 

When posed with playing offensive linemen down the middle, he lacks the physicality to hold up consistently at the point of attack. His hands can be extremely hit or miss, lacking the pop to assert early leverage. There is a clear argument for Tufele’s best football still being in front of him, but the early returns could leave a lot to be desired. More athlete than a football player now, Tufele does not impact the game to the degree you might imagine from this type of skill set. In the end, NFL teams will ultimately clamor for this type of athletic profile. With his combination of size, athletic profile and pass rush potential, the Utah native could very well hear his name called early."

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