2023 NFL Draft Profile: San Jose State DL Viliami Fehoko

The Mountain West’s defensive player of the year looks to become the newest Spartan in the NFL ranks.

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2023 NFL Draft Profile: San Jose State DL Viliami Fehoko

The Mountain West’s defensive player of the year looks to become the newest Spartan in the NFL ranks.

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A whole new mountain to climb.

Viliami Fehoko has been selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the 129th overall pick, in the fourth round of the NFL Draft.

After cementing his legacy as one of the greatest players in San Jose State football history, defensive lineman Viliami Fehoko will look to be the first Spartan selected in the NFL Draft since 2019.

A native of East Palo Alto, California, Fehoko didn’t have to travel far to find his college home thanks to Brent Brennan, who brought him to San Jose State as part of his 2018 recruiting class. After making 11 starts in 2019, he helped the Spartans claim the Mountain West football crown during the unusual 2020 season and simply never stopped producing after that, earning first-team all-conference recognition three times and the conference’s defensive player of the year honor in 2022.

In a crowded class of edge rushers, however, how long will Fehoko have to wait before his name is called?

Measurables (taken from Mockdraftable and Dane Brugler)

40-yard dash: 4.72 seconds
10-yard split: 1.68 seconds
Vertical jump: 30″
Broad jump: 8′ 4″
Short shuttle: 4.73 seconds
Three-cone drill: 7.32 seconds

Highlights

Strengths

Fehoko made his name as one of the most feared edge rushers in recent Mountain West memory thanks in large part to a relentless motor that manifests in doing many of the little things well. NFL.com’s Chad Reuter, for instance, points to his prowess at the point of first contact with tackles while Pro Football Network’s Ian Cummings believes in his array of moves — swim, spin, and rip — and ability to win in close quarters.

Beyond those critical first moments, however, it’s important that note that Fehoko never gives up on a play when it extends, chasing down running backs in the backfield on zone read plays and pursuing quarterbacks outside the tackle box when necessary. He’s a high-energy individual who can make any front seven better.

Weaknesses

It may not be an outright weakness, per say, but NFL defensive coaches will need to determine what kind of role Fehoko will play at the next level. At San Jose State, he played the vast majority of snaps outside the tackle as a 3-4 defensive end but there’s some disagreement as to whether that will be the ideal fit at the next level. The Draft Network’s Damian Parson, for instance, tabs him as 3-4 edge defender and that sentiment is shared by Rueter, but NFL Draft Buzz disagrees.

Another concern which nearly every draft analyst agrees upon is that Fehoko doesn’t currently possess ideal bend, which could factor into how he’ll be able to attack at the next level. Parson notes that he may have to compensate with his strong hand skills, but The Athletic’s Dane Brugler points out that, with only average arm length for the position, some offensive tackles may be able to get the upper hand and force him out of plays.

NFL Comparison

Tarron Jackson

Draft Prediction

Fehoko doesn’t have the ceiling of a Will Anderson or a Lukas Van Ness, but he doesn’t need it in order to have a quality NFL career. A pass-friendly NFL means that defenses will always need players who can hunt quarterbacks, so it’s hard to imagine Fehoko will linger too long on the big board into Day Three, likely to be selected in the fourth round.

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