The Cowboys selected Notre Dame inside linebacker Marist Liufau on Friday night with their second third-round pick in the NFL Draft. Liufau was the No. 87 pick, capping off a night for the Cowboys' defense.
“I was crying,” Liufau said of his reaction to being nominated. “I was crying a lot. It was surreal. It still hasn't affected me.”
In the second round, the Cowboys selected defensive end Marshawn Nyland from Western Michigan. Dallas acquired center guard Cooper Beebe from Kansas State with the first pick in the third round.
Liufau, a second-year starter, is 6-2, 234 pounds. Had two solid seasons at Notre Dame after breaking his ankle in 2021.
Over the next two seasons, Liufau did not miss a start, recording 10 and a half tackles and 95 tackles.
“Anyone who goes through an injury, especially as an athlete, goes through losing a game for a little while, and that teaches you a lot,” he said. “Those kinds of struggles you go through all the time teach you a lot of things. One of them is to not take things for granted.”
The Cowboys wanted to add starter Damone Clark and linebacker Eric Kendricks. Also, Demarvion Overshawn is injured with a torn ACL and should be expected to play a lot of minutes.
Liufau was one of the Cowboys' 30 pre-draft visits. He said when he visited The Star, the organization exhibited a family atmosphere. During his visit, he spoke with defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and special teams coach John Fassel.
“I talked to him a lot about it,” Fiufau said of Fassel. “I know this is going to get me on the field early as a rookie.”
Fiufau has NFL ties, as his cousin is Rams receiver Puka Nacua, who earned a Pro Bowl berth after catching 105 passes for 1,486 yards and six touchdowns in his rookie season.
“This is probably one of the highest hurdles you can set as a rookie, so thank you Puka for making it happen,” Fiufau said. “That's definitely a high bar that Puka has set.”
Fiufau also attended the same private Punahou School in Honolulu as former Notre Dame linebacker and NFL player Manti Te'o, who was embroiled in a scandal with a fake girlfriend during his final year of college.
“He was a huge mentor to me,” Fiufau said. “What I mean is just to help me through this process. For letting me do what I have to do and at the same time helping me and being there for me whenever I have any questions about football or life or anything. What he says is, “If you need anything, let me know.''
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— Who is the new starting center?Dallas Cowboys draft Kansas State's Cooper Beebe in third round
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— The Dallas Cowboys select Notre Dame's Marist Liufau with the 87th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
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Read more Cowboys coverage from the Dallas Morning News here.
