Tuli Tuipulotu, EDGE USC: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Tuipulotu was a three-star recruit from Lawndale High School in Lawndale, Calif. in the class of 2020

USC’s Tuli Tuipulotu was one of the most accomplished defensive linemen in college last season, earning All-Pac-12, All-American, and Pac-12 DPOY honors. He projects as a top 100 selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.

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Tuli Tuipulotu, EDGE USC: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior defensive lineman from Hawthorne, Calif.

Background: Tuipulotu was a three-star recruit from Lawndale High School in Lawndale, Calif. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 386 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 374 for On3.com. Tuipulotu was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 77 grade out of 100. As a high school junior, Tuipulotu amassed 95 tackles, nine sacks, and 24 tackles for loss. As a sophomore, he tallied 49 tackles, a sack, 12 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. He has extensive family ties to USC and the NFL. Tuipulotu’s brother Marlon played along the defensive line at USC from 2017-20. Marlon earned First-Team All-Pac-12 honors in 2020 and currently plays for the Philadelphia Eagles. Talanoa Hufanga, who played safety at USC from 2018-20 and was the 2020 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, is Tuipulotu’s cousin. Hufanga currently plays for the San Francisco 49ers. Tuipulotu is also cousins with Fili Moala, who played defensive tackle at USC from 2005-08 and with the Indianapolis Colts from 2009-14.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed one game with an injury in 2022

Awards: 2020 Second-Team Freshman All-American (The Athletic), 2021 First-Team All-Pac-12, 2021 USC Defensive Lineman of the Year Award, 2022 First-Team All-Pac-12, 2022 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, 2022 First-Team All-American

Pros: Special teams experience on the punt return and field goal block units, college alignment versatility, age, mass evenly distributed throughout his frame, history of forcing fumbles, motor runs hot, quick off the line, instances of explosiveness off the line, combative hands, some suddenness in his hands, powerful hands, knockback power in his hands, hands pack pop, attacks inside rush lanes, euro steps, two-handed swipe, push-pull move to rip down linemen, rip move, swim move, long-arm move, engages lineman before removing his hands and dipping past, gets low to duck under and around the tackle, varies stride length to press inside before hopping around tackles on the outside track, combines his vertical hop with a swipe or chop to clear the tackle’s outside shoulder, leg drive to walk tackles back into the pocket, wrecking ball when he builds momentum, enough juice to make plays as a backside run defender, fires through the C gap between tackle and tight end on run plays, good anchor when he sinks his pads, gets hands into passing lanes, some snaps dropping back in coverage over the MOF

Cons: Rarely penalized, arm length, not twitchy, limited change of direction and short-area agility, hip tightness contributes to limited change of direction, inconsistent explosiveness out of his stance, elevated pad level, foot speed is average at best, arm length and activity don’t always keep his chest clean, corralled by tackles with larger arms, hand placement allows linemen into his frame, pass rush totally derailed by double teams, swipe timing is inconsistent, lacks bend to turn the corner, spin move is ineffective, posted many wins simply by being bigger, faster, and stronger than his opponent, poor pad level leads to his bull rush dying out, rush dies when his momentum does, speed limits his pursuit upside, instances of being driven off the line vs. the run, runs himself out of plays in run defense, better as a penetration-style run defender than true anchor, struggles to tackle agile ball carriers in open space

Overview: Tuipulotu took official measurements at the NFL Combine. He’s 6032 and weighs 266 lbs. He has 10 1/8-inch hands, 32 2/8-inch arms, and a 77 7/8-inch wingspan. Tuipulotu primarily played 4-tech, 5-tech, and 6-tech for the Trojans in 2022, but he moved all over the line. The California native has experience rushing from two and three-point stances. USC even let him blitz from an off-ball position to gain momentum and channel speed to power against guards. Tuipulotu is a young prospect with a well-built frame. His motor runs hot, and he’s quick off the line. There are instances where he’s explosive off the snap. Tuipulotu has sudden, powerful hands that pack pop and knockback power. He attacks inside rush lanes and deploys euro steps, two-handed swipes, push-pull moves, rips, swims, and long-arms in his rush plan. He engages linemen before removing his hands and dipping past. Tuipulotu lacks ideal bend but still ducks and gets low when attempting to turn the corner. He varies his stride length to press inside before hopping around tackles on the outside track. He’ll combine a vertical hop with a swipe or chop to clear the tackle’s outside shoulder. Tuipulotu’s leg drive walks tackles back into the pocket. He has enough juice to make plays as a backside run defender and fires through the C gap on run plays for big stops. Tuipulotu has a good anchor when he sinks his pads, but his pad level is usually poor and impacts his ability to play the run and pass. He gets his hands into passing lanes. Tuipulotu lacks ideal arm length and isn’t a twitchy athlete. He has limited short-area agility and change of direction skills. Hip tightness contributes to his limited bend and agility. The former three-star recruit’s foot speed is average at best. His arm length and activity don’t keep his chest clean. Tuipulotu needs to refine his hand placement and swipe timing. He posted many wins simply by being bigger, faster, and stronger than his opponent, which won’t be the case in the NFL. The All-American’s pass rush dies when his momentum stalls. Tuipulotu is driven off the ball occasionally in one-on-one situations and frequently by double teams. He is better as a penetration-style run defender than a true anchor.

Overall, Tuipulotu is a powerful pass rusher with an expanding arsenal of pass rush moves, but he lacks the consistent explosiveness, agility, and bend teams seek in a top-50 selection. If Tuipulotu decides to play at his Combine weight, it’s highly unlikely he reduces inside at the NFL level.

Role & Scheme Fit: Defensive end in a 4-3 scheme

Round Projection: Early Third Round

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 04-16-23