Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu NFL Draft 2023: Scouting Report for Oregon IOL

HEIGHT: 6'5"

WEIGHT: 317

HAND: 10½"

ARM: 34½"

WINGSPAN: 82⅞"

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40-YARD DASH: 5.23

3-CONE: 7.65

SHUTTLE: 4.75

VERTICAL: 28½"

BROAD: 8'10"

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POSITIVES

— Thick, naturally powerful-built frame with good length

— Surprisingly agile and rangy on the move led to being heavily featured in the run game as a lane-creating puller

— Uncorks on defenders with jarring force to uproot and displace on contact

— Has flashes of patience and processing to quickly sort out dual reads and post-snap movement

— Puts dents in defenders on double-team bumps and feeds to create lateral displacement

— Brings a physical, tone-setting demeanor to the field with excellent snap-to-snap effort

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NEGATIVES

— Has an overaggressive, wild element to his game with a propensity to throw haymakers that lead to lunging and shaky body control

— Struggles on frontside kick-out and backside hinge blocks to line up, connect and seal off his target

— Lacking the fluidity in his pass sets to expand his landmarks and protect the corner against high-side rushes from wide alignments

— Not a good fit for outside/wide zone concepts

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2023 STATISTICS

— 13 starts at right tackle

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NOTES

— Former 0-star guard recruit who went the JUCO route at Navarro College in Texas, becoming the top-ranked offensive tackle in JUCO after two years there before committing to Oregon over Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, USC and others.

— Originally declared for the 2022 NFL draft but decided to return and was granted an extra year of eligibility because of the pandemic.

— 29 career starts at right tackle

— Turns 24 years old on May 25th

— Invited to the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl

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OVERALL

Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu is a three-year starter with 29 career starts at right tackle, including 13 in 2022 for Oregon's 54-46 run-pass split offense and multiple run game.

Aumavae-Laulu was originally a 0-star recruit out of high school, playing two years of JUCO ball at Navarro College before becoming the top-ranked offensive tackle recruit in JUCO and committing to Oregon. Aumavae-Laulu has a thick, naturally powerful and well-rounded frame and build with big hands, good arm length and athletic ability.

He wins as a run-blocker on gap and man concepts using jarring power at the point of attack to collapse defenders on down blocks and as the drive man on double-teams. He is a plus puller with nimble movement skills and the range to intersect and wipe out second-level targets when he connects.

However, Aumavae-Laulu plays with inconsistent hand placement and leverage that leads to lunging and shaky body control on frontside kick-out and backside hinge blocks when he has to deal with defensive ends rather than defensive tackles. This leads to either missing his target while attempting a kill shot or bad positions that lead to him getting grabby to avoid losing cleanly.

Aumavae-Laulu fires off the ball square in his pass set but lacks the range to expand his landmarks against wide rush alignments, leading to open hips/shoulders that create a short corner and two-way gos for rushers to exploit.

Some of his overaggressive habits carry over as well, leading to oversets and clean losses. He is more effective when uncovered, delivering body blows on adjacent rushers to clear the pocket with flashes of clear eyes and patience to sort out dual reads and games quickly.

Overall, Aumavae-Laulu has the physical tools and demeanor of a potential backup on the interior in a downhill, gap-centric run scheme with tackle experience in his back pocket, while needing significant technical refinement to improve body control and harness his power. This gives him starting potential down the road with value as a late Day 3 dart throw in the right situation (scheme, coaching staff).

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GRADE: 5.7 (Backup or Draftable/Rounds 6-7)

OVERALL RANK: 222

POSITION RANK: IOL25

PRO COMPARISON: Sam Tevi

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn