What is Tuli Tuipulotu's position in the NFL?

Tuipulotu on a Potential NFL Position

Tuipulotu spoke to the media on Wednesday at the Combine. He was asked about playing several different positions at USC and where he sees a fit at the next level.

“I feel like I can play whatever position,” Tuipulotu said. “Putting on weight, going back inside. Slimming down, going back outside. I’ll play whatever. But I have a lot of experience on the edge. That’s the position I played the most during college.”

He said a lot of the teams he’s spoken with during this process have talked about him playing multiple spots along the defensive line.

“Everything to me is power,” Tuipulotu said. “Power sets up everything. I always rely on power…Everything counters off that.”

Is he a early down DE and then maybe sliding inside on passing downs?
Is that how others are envisioning him?
His drills were clean and showed good feet but his 40 was slow, if I remember correctly.

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I’ve loved him for months.

He came in an inch shorter and 15lbs lighter than i had seen him listed during the season…

Tuli Tuipulotu Looking Great Lighter, Should Be First-Round Pick

Uchenna Nwosu Seattle Seahawks Linebacker

March 2, 20231 min Watch

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My guy Tuli Tuipulotu (scouting report) from USC lost 20-plus pounds to go from 290 to 266 before going to the combine, that’s no problem at all. I’d rather he be at 260. In this league, it’s continuing to turn into being more speed than size. If you can lose 20 pounds or however much you need to, gain speed, and keep that strength, you’re going to be unstoppable.

Everybody is saying he is trending in a negative direction because he lost all that weight. No, that’s a good thing. The way the game is today, you need your speed, you need to be light on your feet, fast, quick, and explosive.

>> READ: NFL Combine Takeaways From DL, LB Measurements, Drills

I’m happy for Tuli, I hope he can keep it up. He had a great season, and there’s no reason he shouldn’t be a first-round pick. Any method he’s using and the trainers he’s working with that got him down to 260, I congratulate them and I congratulate him because that’s going to help him stay injury-free in his NFL career and make more plays.

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He’s Levi Onwuzurike without the back issues…

I like the kid. I’m just not sure there’s a spot for him on our roster. I think he’s best suited to play DE but we are REALLY full there now.

He’s 30 pounds lighter

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He’d be used almost the exact same way we use Paschal and Cominsky.

In fact Paschal is a really good comp for him. He was 6’3, 32 3/4 inch arms, 268 pounds. Tuli’s probably a shade better attacking the passer while Paschal is better at the POA, but they have similar games.

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He weighs 30 lbs less than Levi… that is a horrible comp

He will play the same position as Hutch on another team.

sounds like he was playing at 290lbs, same exact weight that Levi was at the Combine. My guess is Levi actually tried to gain weight for the Combine and Tuli tried to drop weight.
The comp works weight-wise.

He was listed at 290 but virtually everyone thought he played a lot lighter than that, at least in 2022. Trevor Sikkema on the Stock Exchange pod even predicted a weight under 270. I think 266 is pretty close to where he played all season… which is why you rarely saw him flex inside. I think less than 10% of his 2022 snaps came from inside.

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My guy Tuli Tuipulotu (scouting report) from USC lost 20-plus pounds to go from 290 to 266 before going to the combine, that’s no problem at all. I’d rather he be at 260. In this league, it’s continuing to turn into being more speed than size. If you can lose 20 pounds or however much you need to, gain speed, and keep that strength, you’re going to be unstoppable.
Everybody is saying he is trending in a negative direction because he lost all that weight. No, that’s a good thing. The way the game is today, you need your speed, you need to be light on your feet, fast, quick, and explosive.

There is no way he was at 290 this year maybe the previous year. I think he played at about 265 this year.

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I agree, his play improved dramatically when he lost the weight, so I have no problem with it. It’s just he’s not the guy everyone expected him to be as a prospect (some wanted to draft him as a 3T when he was listed at 290). Instead he’s an edge who might have inside-out versatility like Paschal, though honestly I didn’t think he showed much inside. I think he’s better off simply staying on the edge.

Idk, the article makes it sound like he played at 290lbs and lost 24lbs before the comine.

I mean he may have played at more than 266 but literally everyone watching him before the combine said he was playing much lighter than his listed weight of 290. The only question seemed to be whether he would try and gain weight to play inside or lose it to stay on the outside. I also think it’s pretty clear on the tape. 2022 Tuli is much svelter than 2021 Tuli. They look like different guys.

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I have no idea, I’m just sharing that article I found. My guess is he did lose weight for the combine to time better, although I thought I heard his 40 was still pretty slow.

Yeah but that’s OK, 40’s not his game. He’s gonna win with his strength and his motor, and there’s a lot of teams that prefer that in an edge (Saints are one of the main ones). If we hadn’t drafted Paschal last year I think he’d be a pretty good fit for us. Brad & Co are gonna love his attitude and play demeanor.