Xavier Su'a-Filo NFL Draft 2014: Highlights, Scouting Report for Texans LG
Xavier Su'a-Filo, LG, UCLA, (HT: 6'4⅛", WT: 307 lbs.)
Second Round: 33rd Pick
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| 6041 | 307 | 33 3/8" | 9 3/8" |
| 5.04 | 1.75 | 25 | 25" | 8'6" | 7.60 | 4.44 |
Positives
- Won the 2013 Morris Trophy as the Pac-12’s best 2013 offensive lineman.
- Proved capable of playing the offensive tackle and guard positions at a high collegiate level.
- Immense lower body and clearly impressive core strength.
- Shows great discipline setting into nice, low stance through games.
- Powerful, athletic prospect with explosive movements.
- Great feet and a terrific burst out of three-point stance.
- Strong, heavy hands that are hard for defenders to get off of.
- Shows consistent small signs of potential for elite athleticism.
- Possesses a brand of functional strength that can be absolutely menacing.
- Above-average motor, agility and quickness.
- Played in a UCLA offense in which latching on and driving seem paramount to the mix of power and zone run-blocking concepts utilized.
- Had an extremely successful NFL combine for speed testing, with the seventh-best 40-yard dash and the third-best short shuttle.
- Elite bend and general flexibility.
- Voted as team captain by teammates for the last two years.
Negatives
- In pass protection, will sometimes stop moving his feet after stonewalling pass-rushers.
- Can give up penetration to disruptive interior presences with low centers of gravity.
- Not a patient player or a naturally balanced player.
- Can have problems sticking to interior rushers when he doesn’t get his hands on them early.
- On occasion, will effectively take himself out of run plays by not controlling his own momentum.
- Showed issues with recognition of disguised blitzes in pass protection during both the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
- Has much more trouble getting low-anchoring defensive tackles off their spots than evaluators would like to see.
- Could be considered smaller in stature than ideal.
- Has shown issues countering stunting outside defenders taking long angles across his body.
- Relatively short arms.
- Tied for eighth-smallest hands at the NFL combine.
- Evaluators expected more than his disappointing 25 reps on the bench press in Indy based on on-field strength exhibited on tape.
Personal Notes (via UCLA Athletic Department)
- Full Name: Xavier Filoitumua Su'a-Filo.
- Born: January 1, 1991 in American Fork, Utah.
- Parents: Paul and Candida Su'a-Filo.
- Has two sisters, Hayley and Natasha, and a brother, Wilson.
- Lists his biggest athletic thrill to date as blocking a punt in the 2008 state championship game, which led to a momentum-shifting score.
- Hobbies include video games and hanging out with friends.
- Learned to speak Spanish on his church mission work in Alabama and Florida.
- He is an Eagle Scout.
Ratings Chart
Overall
Su'a-Filo is an impressive prospect to watch, and he seems to do quite a few things really well. He’s a dominating blocker with terrific functional strength. He can get into free space quickly and generally maintains good leverage with a motor that never seems to stop.
While inadequacies can be pointed out in the game of any prospect, NFL scouts will clearly key in on the things Su'a-Filo does well, and those things make him an NFL-ready, plug-and-play guard. The NFL franchise that selects Su'a-Filo will be doing so with expectations of a very early impact.
Draft Projection: 1st-2nd Round
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