JT Tuimoloau, Ohio State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Tuimoloau was a five-star recruit from Eastside Catholic High School in Sammamish, Wash. in the class of 2021

JT Tuimoloau is the second member of Ohio State’s star defensive end duo. He’s produced mixed results when facing top-tier offensive tackle prospects across the past few seasons. Tuimoloau projects as a top 75 selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.

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JT Tuimoloau, Edge Ohio State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior defensive end from Edgewood, Wash.

Background: Tuimoloau was a five-star recruit from Eastside Catholic High School in Sammamish, Wash. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 4 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 7 for Rivals, and No. 5 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 4th in the nation with a 90 grade out of 100. Tuimoloau led Eastside Catholic to 3A state titles in 2018 and 2019. As a high school junior, he totaled 64 tackles and 11 sacks. He was the 2021 Polynesian High School Football Player of the Year and SBLive Washington Player of the Year during the shortened spring COVID-19 high school season. Tuimoloau also earned the SBLive’s 3A Senior Athlete of the Year award. He was selected for the All-American Bowl. Tuimoloau was a four-year member of Eastside Catholic’s basketball team and averaged 11.1 points per game across his career. He averaged 18 points and eight rebounds per game during the pandemic-shortened season.

Injuries & Off-Field: Injured ankle vs. Wisconsin but returned to finish game (2023)

Awards: 2022 First Team All-Big Ten (Coaches), 2022 Second Team All-Big Ten (Media), 2023 First Team All-Big Ten, 2023 Second Team All-American (AFCA)

Pros: Special teams experience on the punt return and field goal block units, arm length should meet if not exceed thresholds, thick and powerful lower half, long strides to cover ground quickly, impressive power rush profile, nice upper body power, lightning quick hands, some pop in hands, powerful arm extensions, converts speed to power, two-handed swipe, powerful two-armed bull rush, chains long-arm into a rip move, spin counter, excellent inside spin, cross-chop, club-rip move, sharp COD into the B-gap, tries to counter into B-gap after nearing the peak of his rush, good closing speed, reads the QB’s eyes to get hands in throwing lanes consistently, quick to recognize and swat short passes or screens, rarely ends up on the ground, compresses the offensive line on inside runs, beats pulling blockers to their spots, sets a strong edge when anchoring, motor runs hot, relentless pursuit leads to clean up tackles

Cons: Penalized three times in 2022 and 2023, open field athleticism is average at best, pad level rises quickly, appeared to have some arm length issues vs. Joe Alt and Caedan Wallace (2023), lacks ideal explosiveness and suddenness, limited pass rush arsenal, limited to no success rushing vs. Joe Alt (2023), power canceled out by Joe Alt (2023), at a loss when his power fails, lacks the bend to turn the corner, hip stiffness, pushed up and around the pocket, spin counter can be predictable and gets caught, lacked counters for Olu Fashanu clamp (2023), plenty of reps without workable counters, desire to collapse inside vs. run sometimes surrenders edge, doesn’t offer anything vs. double teams

Overview: Tuimoloau lines up as a 5-tech and occasional 4-tech in two, three, and four-point stances. His arm length isn’t elite but should meet and potentially exceed the league’s thresholds. Tuimoloau is thick and powerful throughout his frame. He uses long strides to travel up the arc quickly but is primarily known for his power as a rusher. The senior sports twitchy hands that occasionally flash pop on contact. His arm extensions are strong enough to lock offensive linemen out of his frame and empower his speed to power conversion. Tuimoloau’s pass rush plan includes two-handed swipes, two-armed bull rushes, cross-chops, club-rips, long-arms, rips, and spins. He makes sharp cuts to counter into the B-gap and looks for chances to bounce his rush inside frequently. Once past the offensive tackle, Tuimoloau has the closing burst to quickly track down the quarterback. He suffers from some physical limitations. His open field athleticism is average at best and limits his agility and burst. Tuimoloau’s pad level rises quickly at the snap, and he lacks the suddenness or explosiveness to win off the line. The Washington native’s pass rush arsenal is underdeveloped, and many of his moves are one-offs and lack polish. He struggles to create as a pass rusher when his power fails because he lacks the bend in his lower half to turn the corner consistently. Hip stiffness limits his natural agility and flexibility. Offensive tackles drive him up and around the pocket. Tuimoloau overpowered Penn State’s Olu Fashanu on several key reps in 2022 and 2023, but he struggled to break Fashanu’s clamp during their 2023 matchup. Tuimoloau failed to break Joe Alt’s anchor in 2023, which eliminated him as a rush threat when lined up against the All-American left tackle. Tuimoloau must develop more counters to revive his rush after it stalls. The former five-star recruit reads the quarterback’s eyes to swat down an impressive number of pass attempts. He quickly recognizes and tries to close off throwing lanes. Ohio State occasionally asks Tuimoloau to drop and cover the flat. He compresses the offensive line on inside zone runs and beats pulling linemen to their spots on gap runs. Tuimoloau sets a strong edge when anchoring, but he’s often too eager to work down the line, which creates off-tackle lanes. His motor runs hot in pursuit and leads to clean up tackles.

Overall, Tuimoloau is a high-IQ power rusher who has the traits to be an impact run defender, but he battles some physical limitations and is still developing his pass rush arsenal and counters. Tuimoloau projects best as a rotational edge rusher early in his career who could eventually become a full-time starter.

Role & Scheme Fit: 4-3 defensive end

Round Grade: Late Second to Early Third Round

Size: 6'5", 269 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 08-04-24