Dallas Cowboys select Notre Dame LB Marist Liufau in the third round of the NFL Draft

Marist Liufau has started each of the last 25 games he has played for Notre Dame.

At 6-foot-2 and 234 pounds, Liufau can now work his way into the Dallas Cowboys' starting lineup. The Cowboys selected Liufau in the third round on Friday with the 87th overall pick in the NFL Draft.

“I'm speechless right now, but I'm just excited,” Liufau said on the Dallas Cowboys draft show. “I don't know how to put it into words.”

Liufau, who was waiting to hear his name with friends and family gathered on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, became the third former Notre Dame player taken in this year's draft, joining offensive tackle Joe Alt in the break. – Joined Fisher. The Los Angeles Chargers selected Alto with the fifth overall pick in the first round on Thursday night. The Houston Texans drafted Fisher in the second round.

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After suffering season-ending injuries to his foot and ankle during preseason camp in 2021, Liufau became a full-time starter as a senior in 2022. He recorded 51 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, one interception, one pass breakup and a half-sack. In 13 games. He recorded 44 tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks, two pass breakups, and one forced fumble in 2023.

Three previously drafted Notre Dame linebackers found early success in the NFL. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (2021) with Cleveland Browns Drew Tranquille (2019) Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs Jaylon Smith (2016) with the Cowboys. All three were selected in the first four rounds.

Notre Dame could draft two linebackers this year, with J.D. Beltran hoping to join Liufau. The two came to Notre Dame together in the 2019 freshman class.

Notre Dame signed Liufau as a three-star recruit from Honolulu (Hawaii) Punahou, the same school that sent the linebacker. Manti Teo To the Irish. Rivals ranked Liufau the No. 36 outside linebacker in the 2019 class and the No. 6 prospect in Hawaii.

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Liufau joins 10-year veteran zach martin He's on the Cowboys' roster. Martin, an offensive guard, has earned first-team All-Pro honors seven times and Pro Bowl honors nine times since being selected by the Cowboys in the first round of the 2014 draft.

Former University of Notre Dame football player Brandon Aubrey (2013-16) will be entering his second season with the Cowboys after earning first-team All-Pro honors by making 36 of 38 field goal attempts as a rookie.

Last season, the Cowboys only had two linebackers who played more than 300 snaps. Damone Clark (834) and Marquez Bell (701). Both will return to the team in 2024.Cowboys sign veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks He will sign a one-year contract this offseason. Demarvion's OvershowThe player, who missed last season with a torn ACL, should be given a chance to play after being selected in the third round last year.

Cowboys Vice President of Player Personnel Will McCray highlighted Liufau's versatility as appealing.

Liufau visited the Cowboys during the pre-draft process. At the time, he didn't know it was a harbinger of things to come.

“It was unbelievable,” Liufo said. “Just the way they run the organization there is incredible. From the moment I got there and throughout my visit, I could feel the family atmosphere. It felt like home to me. I can't express how excited I am. It means everything to me.”

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