Henry To'oTo'o, LB Alabama: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

To'oTo'o was a four-star recruit from De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif. in the class of 2019

Alabama linebacker Henry To'oTo'o is one of the most experienced defensive players in the 2023 NFL Draft. The former Tennessee transfer is the prototypical modern linebacker.

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Henry To'oTo'o, LB Alabama: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior MIKE linebacker from Sacramento, Calif.

Background: To'oTo'o was a four-star recruit from De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif. in the class of 2019. He was the No. 44 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 83 for Rivals, and No. 64 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 47th in the nation with an 85 grade out of 100. To'oTo'o transferred from Tennessee to Alabama ahead of the 2021 season. He was a First-Team MaxPreps All-American and USA Today All-USA California Team selection in 2018. As a senior, To'oTo'o led De La Salle to a 12-1 record and a state championship appearance. He also played running back, rushing for 489 yards and three touchdowns in 2018. His full name is Henry Moses Ito Iese To'oTo'o. He was born on Jan. 5, 2001.

Injuries & Off-Field: Left Miami (2021) matchup with an elbow injury but didn’t miss a game, didn’t participate in the Senior Bowl because of an undisclosed injury

Awards: 2019 SEC All-Freshman Team, 2019 Freshman All-American (The Athletic), 2021 Second-Team All-SEC, 2022 First-Team All-SEC

Pros: Special teams experience on the punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, upside to work kick coverage and kick return units as well, nearly 3,200 career defensive snaps, solid arm length, linear speed and burst, sideline-to-sideline range, patiently waits for an opening before bursting into the backfield, gets skinny and squeezes through gaps, speed is beneficial when defending the option, quality QB spy, agility to avoid climbing linemen, some splashes of stacking and shedding blocks, gains excellent depth in zone coverage, fluidity and speed to play man coverage on running backs and tight ends, athleticism to carry tight ends up the seam, occasional positive reps in one-on-one coverage vs. the slot receiver, springy athlete with the speed to blitz, builds speed on stunts, decent bend as a pass rusher

Cons: Committed five penalties in the past two years, undersized, lean build, lacks the play strength to play through offensive linemen, lacks the play strength to hold the point of attack, washed away by linemen, displaced by climbing linemen, blocking tight ends can contain him, kept clean by playing behind a stacked d-line unit at Alabama, incorrectly tracks the ball coming out of the mesh point, run fits are hit-or-miss, poor angles give the ball carrier extra yards for free, relies on his athleticism to cover his mistakes, missed tackles are a constant concern, slips and slides off tackles, dives or leaves his feet for tackle attempts unnecessarily, false steps downhill before retreating in coverage, doesn’t attempt to knock pass catchers off their routes, inconsistent awareness in zone makes him a step late to the play, gets caught QB watching and drifting in zone with low awareness of developing routes, often just floating in space in zone, play and route recognition hold him back

Overview: To'oTo'o took official measurements at the NFL Combine. He’s 6010 and weighs 227 lbs. He has 10 2/8-inch hands, 32 6/8-inch arms, and a 77 3/8-inch wingspan. To'oTo'o has special teams experience on the punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units with the upside to work on the kick coverage and kick return units as well. He has nearly 3,200 career defensive snaps to his name. To'oTo'o has solid arm length to accompany impressive linear speed and burst and sideline-to-sideline range. He patiently waits for an opening before bursting into the backfield. To'oTo'o gets skinny and squeezes through gaps. His speed is beneficial when defending the option or spying the quarterback. The senior has the agility to duck around climbing linemen, but there are instances of him making splash plays by stacking and shedding blocks. He can line up in the A-gap and drop 15 yards in coverage while staying even with the receivers. To'oTo'o gains excellent depth in zone coverage and has the fluidity and speed to play man coverage on running backs and tight ends. He can carry tight ends up the seam and occasionally has positive reps in one-on-one coverage against slot receivers. To'oTo'o is a springy athlete with the speed to blitz and decent bend off the edge. Unfortunately, the All-SEC linebacker is lean and undersized. He lacks the play strength to play through offensive linemen or hold the point of attack. He is displaced by climbing linemen and contained by blocking tight ends. To'oTo'o benefited from playing behind a stacked Alabama defensive line that kept him clean at the second level. The California native incorrectly tracks the ball coming out of the mesh point. His run fits are hit-or-miss, and he takes poor angles that give the ball carrier extra yards for free. To'oTo'o relies on his athleticism to cover his mistakes. He consistently slips and slides off tackle attempts or leaves his feet for tackles unnecessarily. His tape is full of false steps downhill before retreating in coverage. To'oTo'o’s awareness in zone is inconsistent, leading to him reacting late. He gets caught watching the quarterback and not covering his assignment. To'oTo'o often ends up floating in space in zone but not covering anyone. His play and route recognition hold him back.

Overall, To'oTo'o offers all of the benefits and risks of modern linebackers. He’s a fast athlete with excellent range and coverage capabilities but lacks the mass to come out of brawls in the box unscathed. To'oTo'o’s play strength limitations and questionable diagnosis skills make him a one or two-year project at weakside linebacker who could eventually reclaim his duties as a MIKE defender.

Role & Scheme Fit: Weakside linebacker in a 4-3 scheme with MIKE upside

Round Projection: Late Second to Mid Third

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 04-15-23