NFL Draft
2/4/25
5 min read
Junior Tafuna 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For Utah Utes DT
Height: 6027 (verified)
Weight: 303lbs (verified)
Year: Redshirt Senior
Pro Comparison: Jay Tufele
Scouting Overview
Utah Utes defensive tackle Junior Tafuna is a high-motor defender with requisite levels of strength, length, and anchor for the NFL game. His passing-down resume is limited, and he will likely be perceived as a modest-ceiling interior defender.
Yet, the anchor and point-of-attack play that Tafuna has flashed offers glimpses of quality play and promise that he could hold value down the line as an early down rotational defender. Tafuna plays hard and with great urgency — a likeable combination to go with a low center of gravity and good push in bull rushes to collapse the pocket.
2025 NFL Combine Results
TBD
Positives
- Boasts a squatty, low frame that offers stout anchor ability in linear drive blocks
- Showcases some good hand placement to leverage blocks and hold the point of attack
- Offers good hand power to deconstruct blocks and snatch blockers off their set in pass-rush situations
Negatives
- Sorely lacking in production with splash plays despite extensive playing resume
- Lacks top-end explosive quickness to test blockers with speed at the snap
- Does not showcase high-end lateral quickness to excel in space
Background
Tafuna is from Taylorsville, UT, and played high school football for Bingham HS. There, he was a 3-star outside linebacker (247 Sports) who received significant interest from programs on the West Coast, including Oregon and BYU. He ultimately enrolled at Utah as a member of the 2019 recruiting class and served an LDS mission to Praia, Cape Verde.
Tafuna redshirted the 2020 season as a reported 255-pound end and dressed as a redshirt freshman in 2021 as a 290-pound tackle. Tafuna collected 11 starts in 13 games that season, being named the PAC-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year. He went on to hold a starting position with the program through his final year of eligibility in 2024. Tafuna finished his career with 45 starts in 48 career games with the Utes and accepted an invitation to play in the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl.
Tale Of The Tape
Tafuna is a compact player who appears to offer potential value as a run defender at the NFL level. He has heavy hands and a thick frame and flashes the kind of point-of-attack skills that can grab your attention in a gap-control scheme. He illustrates good hand placement within the frame of blockers and the desired upper body strength to press, extend, and separate his chest from the block. In these instances, Tafuna is capable of playing into adjacent gaps and uncovering for the ball carrier.
When Tafuna is uncovered in the hole, he showcases good wrap-up ability and a sufficient tackle radius to finish ball carriers. He lacks the kind of short-area acceleration and explosiveness to play out of contact and chase down the back on runs that press further to the perimeter, but he’s a sufficient stopper in vertical run game opportunities to fit the back.
Tafuna’s biggest issue with tackling is converting some of his disruption opportunities into actual minus plays for the defense.
He showcases good push in head-up challenges in the run game and when bulling centers into the backfield. But his separation quickness undoes some of his claimed real estate and leaves him lagging onto blocks long enough for quarterbacks and running backs to change their location within the backfield and slide away from his pressure. He’s not an inherent finisher and, as a result, would be better off ceding his reps to a more dynamic and agile short-area athlete with more length on obvious passing downs.
Tafuna plays hard and is hard to squat on. He’ll fight pressure with strong hands to snatch or yank blockers off of their base, but linemen with good core strength can often fight his counter, and then he’s often left stonewalled without an additional counter plan. These reps render him helpless, and he’ll struggle to get uncovered and back into pursuit mode.
It is easy to appreciate how he gets his hands up when his rushes do not reach the quarterback. Due to his active hands, Tafuna batted a number of passes this season while engaged with blockers.
Many of Tafuna’s best qualities are simply good, hard-nosed football. He’s tough, dense, and high-strain. There’s value for these kinds of players on every roster in the league, but the appeal for a larger role aside from a role player and rotational run defender has yet to declare itself. As such, he should be regarded as a fringe roster talent as he enters into the league.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
Tafuna projects as a developmental gap control defender. He’ll be best implemented against the run on early downs and short yardage — where his powerful hands can break down blocks at the point of attack.
He offers modest upside on passing downs, but his niche role is likely inside on short yardage and early downs.
Grade: 69.00/100.00, Sixth Round Value
Big Board Rank: TBD
Position Rank: TBD
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