Doug Farrar at Touchdown Wire has named Tavai his top undrafted free agent to watch in 2023.
The Seahawks seem to be absolutely obsessed with turning over their interior defensive line this offseason. While they passed on Jalen Carter at No. 5 overall in the draft, most of this team’s energy has gone into improving and reshaping that underperforming iDL unit.
Yesterday, the team added three more interior defensive linemen to their roster: former Raiders defensive end Mario Edwards Jr., former Chargers nose tackle Forrest Merrill and former Seattle Sea Dragons DL Austin Faoliu. The team also has some interesting undrafted free agent defensive linemen. In fact some believe they have the best UDFA class this year by a wide margin.
Perhaps the most-intriguing guy in the group is San Diego State defensive tackle Jonah Tavai. Doug Farrar at Touchdown Wire has named Tavai his top 2023 undrafted free agent to watch.
“I’m highly intrigued by San Diego State defensive lineman Jonah Tavai, who landed with the Seahawks. Last season, he led all FBS interior defensive linemen with 12 sacks and 69 total pressures, and he wasn’t doing it all against lower-level competition — there’s enough “like as like” tape to make you think that Tavai can be pretty disruptive at the NFL level, as well.”
Tavai’s numbers in college were undeniably impressive and we are expecting him to be one of the UDFAs who wind up making the initial 53-man roster. Seeing is believing though, so here is a look at Tavai’s 2022 highlight reel.
In this week’s “4-Down Teritory,” Doug and Kyle discuss worst owners, best undrafted free agents, and 2023 NFL schedule beefs.
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire get into a few important items as NFL teams put the first minicamps of the 2023 season in the books.
Who is the worst owner in pro football history, and why might it be Dan Snyder?
Who are the undrafted first-year players to watch as rookie minicamps turn to minicamps to training camps?
Which team has the biggest legitimate beef with the NFL”s schedule-makers?
And which team has the easiest path to success from a schedule perspective?
You can watch this week’s episode of “4-Down Territory” right here:
Who are the best underrated prospects in the 2023 NFL draft? Doug Farrar runs down the sleepers who could make surprising differences in the NFL.
Several NFL executives have already made it clear that they’re struggling to find as many as 20 prospects in the 2023 NFL draft class deserving of a first-round grade.
That may look like a pull quote, but it’s not entirely uncommon. Drafts like the 2023 one, which starts Thursday at 8:00 p.m. EST, are wider than they are tall, which means that while there aren’t a ton of obvious first-round guys, there are second- and third-day players who can make a difference on an NFL roster right away.
And that’s why it’s so important to have your scouting go all the way through all seven rounds and beyond. Ask the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, who got their eventual starting running back (Rutgers’ Isiah Pacheco) in the seventh round. Or the Seattle Seahawks, who bagged starting cornerback Tariq Woolen out of UTSA in the fifth. And of course, there were few more interesting rookie stories in 2022 than the tale of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, the most relevant “Mr. Irrelevant” in pro football history.
Looking ahead to the most talented sleepers in the 2023 draft class, there are prospects who have been pushed down in loaded position groups, those who need a bit of finishing work to fully unlock their NFL potential, and those who don’t have a total skill set, but who do a few things very well. They are all more than worthy of NFL consideration, and just because they’ll probably hear their names called in the late second or early third day of the draft, don’t automatically discount their NFL potential.
That’s a mistake the smartest NFL teams never make. Here are my most gifted sleepers — the “Secret Superstars” of the 2023 NFL draft.
In three weeks, San Diego State defensive lineman Jonah Tavai will hope to hear his name called at the 2023 NFL Draft.
Tavai was a standout on San Diego State’s defensive line for four years. He began his college football career at El Camino College in 2018 before he transferred to San Diego State in 2019. Tavai made an immediate difference on the defensive line as a sophomore and he developed through each season.
Following the 2021 season, Tavai had an opportunity to leave for the NFL, but he decided to remain with the program for his final year of eligibility. Tavai’s decision to remain with the Aztecs for a fourth season paid off. He finished the 2022 season with 10.5 sacks and 59 total tackles.
Tavai was one of the most important players on San Diego State’s defense for the previous three seasons. He finished his time with the Aztecs as a legendary defensive lineman.
For Tavai, he will hope to make a similar impact in the NFL for the team that drafts him in April.
Versality as a defensive lineman will serve Tavai well in the NFL. He is a strong run stopper with an ability to slow down opposing running backs in the middle of the line of scrimmage. Tavai can get to the quarterback and disrupt the passing game with his rushing skills. His sacks increased every season at San Diego State. In the last two seasons, Tavai recorded a total of 19 sacks. With a rugby background, Tavai is a physical defensive lineman who is not afraid to engage with offensive linemen. He has experience as a defensive end and defensive tackle. Expect Tavai to mostly line up on the interior defensive line.
Weaknesses
While Tavai registered a memorable career at San Diego State, his lack of size and speed will likely cause him to be a Day 2 or Day 3 draft pick. Tavai does not have explosive speed for a defensive lineman and at under 6-feet, he will need to find a way to get around the arms and hands of larger offensive linemen. Experienced interior offensive linemen will make it difficult for Tavai to get by. With a 26.5-inch vertical, Tavai will not be expected to defend many passes from the line of scrimmage.
NFL Comparison
Andrew Billings
Draft Prediction
Tavai’s measurables will likely lead to his name being called late on Day 3. He will be a solid choice for a team looking for an experienced interior defensive lineman. Tavai will be selected in the sixth round.
It’s always tricky to guess which Falcons might be enticed to chase the NFL dream after their time at the Academy, but running back Brad Roberts might consider it if he can duplicate his 2021 season. It isn’t often that a fullback leads Air Force in rushing, let alone the entire Mountain West, but that’s what Roberts did in piling up 1,357 yards and 13 touchdowns on a conference-high 297 carries. He’s a bruiser with enough acceleration to warrant a look as a short-yardage back in the NFL, if nothing else.
In the mix: Zion Kelly, CB; Kyle Patterson, TE; Vince Sanford, LB
Boise State
Pass catchers beware when Broncos safety JL Skinner is in the vicinity. At 6-4 and 220 pounds, he’s earned a reputation as a hard hitter with the range to make plays just about everywhere on the field. In 2021, he collected 92 total tackles, seven tackles for loss and two interceptions, so another big year patrolling the defensive backfield is all but guaranteed to put him on a few big boards by this time next year.
Finally, now that JL Skinner is officially coming back, I’ll just leave this here.
In the mix: Hank Bachmeier, QB; Stefan Cobbs, WR; George Holani, RB; Shane Irwin, DL; Scott Matlock, DL; John Ojukwu, OT
Colorado State
Wide receiver Dante Wright wasn’t always at 100% during the 2021 season, but he remained one of the Rams’ most reliable targets and could be the primary beneficiary of Jay Norvell’s Air Raid offense. The former freshman All-American hasn’t lost any of his potency — he caught at least four passes in every game he played last year and has done so in all but two career games — and could very easily be 2022’s Deven Thompkins if everything breaks right.
In the mix: Cam’ron Carter, LB; Dequan Jackson, LB; Melquan Stovall, WR
Fresno State
Most college football fans remember Jake Haener‘s late-game exploits against UCLA last September, but the Bulldogs quarterback built a strong case throughout all of last year as the best signal-caller in the Mountain West. In throwing the ball nearly 38 times a game, Haener completed 67.1% of his passes for 4,096 yards and 33 touchdowns, also managing a reasonable 1.8% interception rate. While he may not fit the typical NFL quarterback mold (6-1, 195 pounds), his moxie and arm should give scouts plenty to keep an eye on.
In the mix: Dontae Bull, OT; Jalen Cropper, WR; David Perales, DE; Evan Williams, S
Hawaii
Since breaking into the starting lineup as a true freshman back in 2018, defensive tackle Blessman Ta’ala has been a quiet force in the trenches for the Warriors defense, earning a pair of all-Mountain West honorable mentions in 2019 and 2020 and, according to Pro Football Focus, posting a career-best 75.3 grade last season. His ability to eat up space is something not just anyone can be taught, so he might be an example of how the stat sheet doesn’t tell you the whole story.
In the mix: Ilm Manning, OT; Dedrick Parson, RB; Solo Vaipulu, G; Micah Vanterpool, OL
Nevada
Defensive tackle Dom Petersondidn’t have to rejoin the Wolf Pack for one last season, but you can bet fans will be glad he did. Perhaps the best interior defender anywhere in the Mountain West, Peterson has now made 40 starts for Nevada and picked up 22 sacks and 41.5 tackles for loss. Not only could another dominant year put him in the conversation as the program’s best defensive lineman ever, it could entrench him as a prospect to watch.
In the mix: Aaron Frost, OL; Toa Taua, RB; Tyson Williams, S
New Mexico
After leading the Mountain West with four interceptions in 2020, Lobos safety Jerrick Reed II put together another solid campaign last fall and led the team with 92 tackles. He also tied for the team lead with seven pass breakups, moving around the defense to do whatever it took to make stops and bolstering his bonafides as a sure tackler with reliable hands.
