With the 70th pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select:
MARLON TUIPULOTU | USC 6017 | 307 lbs. | rJR. Independence, Ore. (Central) 6/1/1999 (age 21.91) #93
BACKGROUND: Marlon Tuipulotu (Too-ee-poo-LOE-too) grew up in Gardena (15 miles south of Los Angeles) before moving to western Oregon and enrolling at Central High School. He hadn’t played tackle football before enrolling at Central, but he made an immediate impact with 57 tackles and a blocked field goal as a freshman. As a sophomore, Tuipulotu posted 72 tackles, 22.0 tackles for loss, 12.0 sacks and one forced fumble. He earned All-State 5A Defensive Player of the Year and Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors as a junior, leading Central with 78 tackles, 28.0 tackles for loss, 13.0 sacks and two interceptions. As a senior, Tuipulotu was named USA Today’s Oregon Defensive Player of the Year and All-American honors as he played both defensive line and offensive tackle. He finished with 62 tackles, 14.0 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks and one blocked field goal. Tuipulotu also picked up wrestling as a junior to help his off-season conditioning for football and he won the Oregon state class 5A 285-pound championship. [169] A four-star defensive tackle recruit out of high school, Tuipulotu was the No. 5 ranked defensive tackle in the class and the No. 1 recruit in Oregon. He started receiving recruiting attention as a sophomore and collected offers from Michigan, Notre Dame and Oregon. He originally committed to Washington as a junior before flipping to USC just before signing day and enrolled early in January 2017. His younger brother, Tuli, is a rising sophomore defensive lineman at USC. His cousin, Talanoa Hufanga, played safety at USC and is a prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft. His cousin, Fili Moala, was a defensive lineman at USC and second-round pick (No. 56 overall) in the 2009 NFL Draft – he played seven seasons in the NFL. Tuipulotu graduated with his political science degree (December 2020). He elected to skip his senior season and enter the 2021 NFL Draft. He accepted his invitation to the 2021 Senior Bowl.
STRENGTHS: Thick, burly frame…hard player to move due to his base power…above-average play strength to bully blockers on their heels…skilled with his two-hand strike or violent push-pull to jolt and disengage…flashes a quality pass rush with his snap quickness, foot agility and swipe moves…keeps his hands and feet in unison to stay on schedule versus both the pass and the run…can peek-a-boo multiple gaps to track the ball carrier…strong hands to not only slow runners in the hole, but slam them to the ground…active pursuit player and gives consistent effort…his USC coaches say he brought “competitive edge” to practice every day…experienced lining up over the A gap or B gap.
WEAKNESSES: Doesn’t have an explosive first step to win with quickness alone…needs to keep his pads low out of his stance…has some stiffness in his lower body and hips, hindering his ability to abruptly change directions…doesn’t make many plays from the backside…can be more gap sound…didn’t show many counter options as a pass rusher on tape…average backfield production…his medical feedback will be important after missing most of the 2017 season with a sprained left knee (September 2017) and season-ending back surgery (October 2017), also missing 2018 spring practice; missed one game as a sophomore due to a back injury (November 2019).
SUMMARY: A three-year starter at USC, Tuipulotu lined up at nose tackle in defensive coordinator Todd Orlando’s multiple front. Some thought his play might suffer after Jay Tufele opted out of the 2020 season, but the opposite happened as he earned All-Conference honors as a junior and impressed NFL scouts. Tuipulotu flashes power in his hands to shock and knock back blockers, separating and locating the football in the run game. He doesn’t have a ton of backfield production versus the pass, but he accelerates into blockers and gives them all they can handle. Overall, Tuipulotu lacks elite
@MGMT is on the clock.