height: 6'2″
weight: 239
hand: 9⅝”
arm: 34″
Wingspan: 79″
40 yard dash: Not applicable
3-cone: Not applicable
shuttle: Not applicable
vertical: Not applicable
Wide: Not applicable
positive
— Good size and frame, long arms, and overall solid movement skills.
— Shows great eye discipline and peripheral vision to spot threats entering his area when playing zone.
— Can be an effective blitzer with decent handswipe movement and the change of direction and agility to apply pressure as a looper in the line game.
— Takes blocks with his hands and is physical at the point of attack against the run.
negative
— Questionable instincts. Freezes up and gets caught out of position against zone runs, and slows run-pass transitions against play-action.
— Lacks functional strength to hold his ground when taking on blocks against offensive linemen.
— The angle is too shallow for outside runs, limiting range.
— Has bad habits when tackling. The pads are too high and he dives with his ankles, which will lead to more mistakes in the NFL.
2023 statistics
— 12G, 44 TOT, 6.0 TFL, 3.0 SK, 2 PD, 1 FF, 1 FR
Note
— Born February 9, 2001
— 3-star players in the 2019 class, according to 247Sports Composite Rankings
— Injury: 2021 (broken ankle, missed entire season)
whole
Marist Liufau has the potential to be a solid backup/rotation linebacker in the NFL. He has good size, at least decent movement skills to help with coverage, and has experience playing multiple linebacker spots in college, giving him some positional versatility. He's also a solid pass rusher as an off-ball “backer,” which adds to the value of his resume.
Liufau's biggest problem is his lack of functional strength, which is most evident in his goals conceded. He already weighs around 240 pounds, which is big for a modern linebacker, but his size doesn't leave much room for growth. In other words, he may already be tapped out in that area of his game.
Overall, Liufau will need to prove himself on special teams to begin his NFL career, but he could be a force to be reckoned with on day three of the draft.
School year: 5.6 (Backup/Draftable — 6th round)
Overall ranking:221
position rank:LB18
professional comparison: Cam Gruger Hill
Written by B/R NFL Scout mat holder
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