NFL Draft 2026 Scouting Report for Oregon Edge Matayo Uiagalelei

Matt HolderOct 12, 2025

Matayo Uiagalelei is a 6'5", 272-pound edge prospect in the 2026 NFL draft and has the rare blend of size, strength and athleticism to be a first-round pick.

Uiagalelei went to Oregon as a 4-star recruit in the 2023 class, per 247Sports. He was a role player as a true freshman, making just one start and totaling 18 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, two sacks and two passes defended in 13 games.

Then, he burst onto the scene in 2024, leading the Ducks' defensive line that featured three 2025 draft picks in sacks (10.5) while also accumulating 38 tackles, 13 TFLs, an interception and two PDs. The performance resulted in Uiagalelei earning first-team All-Big Ten honors in the media and second-team from the conference's coaches.

Matayo is the younger brother of DJ Uiagalelei, who was a quarterback for Clemson, Oregon State and Florida State and is currently on the Los Angeles Chargers' practice squad.

Matt Holder has been a part of B/R's Scouting Department for four seasons. He also writes about the Las Vegas Raiders and NFL draft for SB Nation's Silver and Black Pride, and co-hosts a YouTube Channel, Tape Don't Lie, providing film breakdowns and more draft prospect analysis.

Where He Wins

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- Good size and appears to have long arms. Carries his frame well with no bad weight and has fluid/smooth movement skills.

- Good get-off to get penetration.

- Impressive agility to be an effective looper on line games, Uiagalelei takes efficient paths to the quarterback by gaining ground vertically while moving laterally.

- Solid long-arm move as a pass-rusher to occasionally collapse the pocket against offensive tackles.

- Uses his hands well as a pass rusher, showing good timing to win with a cross-chop or by playing the offensive tackle's hands.

- Flexible ankles and hips to bend and corner at the top of the rush.

- Takes on blocks with his hands, a wide base and has enough strength to keep offensive tackles away from his body to hold ground, set the edge and get off blocks.

- He has the strength to create stalemates in the backfield when taking on pullers as the force player in run fits.

- Sniffs out trick plays and screens well.

- Athletic enough to occasionally drop in coverage, he's made a handful of impact plays when asked to play zone rather than rush the passer.

Areas of Improvement

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL: DEC 07 Big Ten Championship Game - Penn State vs Oregon

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- Needs to be more physical at the point of attack.

- Habit of giving up positioning and trying to close the gap with the man as a run defender and doesn't have enough strength to consistently get away with that, creating rushing lanes.

- Subpar quickness as a pass-rusher.

- Doesn't have a dominant trait to hang his hat on, more of a solid-to-good all-around player