NFL Draft: Tuli Tuipulotu selected in second round by Los Angeles Chargers
USC defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu, an All-American for the Trojans last season, was selected in the second round of the NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers. Tuipulotu was taken with the No. 54 overall pick on Friday night.
Last season at USC, Tuipulotu made 46 tackles and recorded 13.5 sacks, which led the nation. He also recorded two forced fumbles. As a high school recruit out of Lawndale (Calif.), Tuipulotu was a three-star recruit and the No. 386 ranked player nationally in the 2020 class, per 247Sports.com's composite rankings.
Sports Illustrated's evaluation of Tuipulotu: The first step quickness and explosion Tuipulotu possesses from the inside is excellent. He has the natural ability to get after the quarterback from the 3-tech spot. His ability to convert speed to power is elite and he has violent hands to disrupt offensive guards.
Tuipulotu already has a solid pass rush repertoire from the inside and outside. He is a very explosive linear athlete, who is just scratching the surface of what he can become as a pass rusher. There are some wow reps on his film, where he blows a guard off his spot and then uses his natural speed to wreak havoc in the backfield. Tuipulotu is able to convert pressures into sacks from the inside, which is another great quality to have.
For Tuipulotu to reach his potential, he is going to need to add play strength. He isn’t as big as his listed weight and it shows at times in the run game. He can get washed out of plays and Tuipulotu doesn’t possess the lower body strength to anchor down and hold his spot. That prevents him from stacking and shedding defenders. Tuipulotu will flash the ability to make plays in the run game, he just won’t be able to play at the next level until he adds play strength and weight. Once he does that, Tuipulotu could develop into a three down player, with high-level pass rush ability. Those kinds of players are hard to find but Tuipulotu will need to show that he can add weight and still keep his quickness and explosion from the inside.
