LB Darius Muasau scouting reports

[MightyGiants]

NFl.com

By Lance Zierlein
NFL Analyst
Draft Projection
Round 6
Overview
Linebacker with muscular build and an unrelenting desire to chase after the football. Muasau plays with a phenomenal motor and has the instincts and recognition to get the jump on blocking schemes. He plays with good initial quickness but lacks extended pursuit speed in space. He will take shots downhill to spoil the action, but teams will have to live with missed tackles and inconsistent leverage in his pursuit. Muasau can handle some basic short-zone coverage but could get in trouble if the coverage expands into larger spaces. He has the potential to make the back end of a roster as a late-round pick or priority free-agent addition.

Strengths
Tremendously durable and productive as a tackler.
Coaches will love his instincts and play recognition.
Instantly flows to play direction, racing running backs to the lane.
Stout and powerful when challenging lead blocks in the hole.
Sticks his nose into the trash inside and roots out running backs.
Triggers quickly to smother leak-out backs after the catch.
Weaknesses
Has a hard time getting rid of climbing linemen in run game.
Overly eager and will run himself beyond cutback lanes.
Allows too many runners to escape from his clutches.
Below-average range as reactive tackler laterally.
Doesn't gain quick depth on spot drops and lacks man-cover speed.


Brugler


16. DARIUS MUASAU | UCLA 5117 | 225 lbs. | 5SR Ewa Beach, Hawaii (Mililani) 2/10/2001 (age 23.21) #53
BACKGROUND: Darius Muasau (MOO-uh-sao), the second oldest of six boys, was born in San Diego but grew up on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, just outside of
Honolulu. Both of his parents grew up in Hawaii. Along with his brothers, Muasau started playing football at the youth level , and he starred as a running back and
linebacker for the Halawa Knights (often coached by his father). He attended Mililani High School, where he was part of the same graduating class as quarterback
Dillon Gabriel (UCF and Oklahoma). Muasau moved up to varsity as a sophomore and played both ways as a linebacker and running back. After earning honorable
mention All-State honors as a junior, he earned first team All-State and 2018 Defensive Player of the Year as a senior, finishing with 87 tackles, 38.5 tackles for loss
and two interceptions. Muasau helped Mililani to a 10-3 record and runner-up finish for the 2018 Division title.
A two-star recruit, Muasau was the No. 149 inside linebacker in the 2019 recruiting class and the No. 27 recruit in Hawaii (Gabriel was No. 9). He received his first
Division I scholarship offer from his home state Hawaii in May 2018. FCS Portland State also offered him, but Hawaii was his only FBS offer, and he committed in July
2018 before his senior season. Muasau was pressed into action immediately as a freshman and played three years at Hawaii. Aft er the 2021 season (and the
controversial tenure of former head coach Todd Graham), Muasau entered the transfer portal and committed to UCLA a few days later. He led the Bruins in tackles in
2022 and elected to return for his fifth season as a super senior in 2023. His younger brother (Sergio) is the starting left guard and a rising senior at Hawaii. Muasau
accepted his invitation to the 2024 Hula Bowl and then also played at the 2024 East-West Shrine Bowl.
YEAR (GP/GS) TKLS TFL SACK FF PD INT NOTES
2019: (15/4) 61 3.0 0.0 0 0 0 Hawaii; Special Teams MVP
2020: (9/9) 104 9.5 4.5 0 2 1 Hawaii; First Team All-MWC; Led team in tackles, TFL and sacks; pandemic-shortened season
2021: (13/12) 109 14.0 7.0 5 5 1 Hawaii; First Team All-MWC; Led team in FFs, tackles, TFL and sacks; Team captain
2022: (13/13) 91 3.0 1.0 1 4 2 UCLA; Second Team All-Pac-12; Led team in tackles; Enrolled in January 2022
2023: (13/13) 75 10.5 4.0 0 6 1 UCLA; Second Team All-Pac-12; Led team in tackles; Def. Bowl MVP
Total: (63/51) 440 40.0 16.5 6 17 5
HT WT HAND ARM WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP
COMBINE 5117 225 9 1/2 31 1/2 74 3/4 4.70 2.72 1.61 36 1/2 9'9" - - - (no shuttle, 3-cone, bench press — choice)
PRO DAY 6001 228 9 7/8 30 7/8 76 3/8 4.71 2.65 1.63 - - 4.41 7.23 - (no bench press — choice)
STRENGTHS: Physical, alert run defender ... good eyes to key, read and fill, arriving quickly to work around blockers ... scrapes well laterally with enough range to play
sideline-to-sideline ... has a good feel for where ball carriers are going to be, not where they are ... improved tackling discipline on his 2023 tape ... squares the ball
carrier with balance and accurate striking skills, creating stopping power at contact ... nice job slipping through gaps and cl osing as a blitzer ... understands depth on
his zone drops, making adjustments based on route combinations (15 passes defended the last three seasons) ... durable and didn't miss a game over the last five
seasons (63 games played) ... has the experience (573 snaps) and skill set to make plays on special-teams coverages (named special-teams MVP as a freshman) ... led
his team in tackles in each of the last four seasons (two at Hawaii, two at UCLA).
WEAKNESSES: Has some straight-line tendencies and false steps lead to trouble ... shifty runners can shake him in the hole ... reads the field well but needs t o
improve his ability to decipher the eye candy before it's too late ... has the hand strength to fit up blockers, but he lacks ideal arm length and his shed mechanics are
inconsistent ... can be trapped and cut off by tight end blocks ... needs to tighten up his angles out in space ... doesn't have ex plosive acceleration to close the gap
when chasing ... his man coverage skills aren't ready for NFL athletes.
SUMMARY: A two-year starter at UCLA, Muasau played Mike linebacker in former defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn's 4-2-5 base scheme. After three productive
seasons at Hawaii, he led the Bruins in tackles in both of his seasons in Westwood and has an impressive collegiate resume — he played in every game the last five
years and compiled 440 tackles and 40.0 tackles for loss. A quick-reacting defender, Muasau has the vision that gives him a head start on the play, which expands his
lateral range and helps him make stops near the line of scrimmage. He is aware in short-zone coverage, although he lacks the movement skills to stay connected to
backs or tight ends in man coverage. Overall, Muasau might not be elite in any one area, but he is a well-rounded linebacker with the play recognition and tackling
skills that will translate to any level. Similar in ways to Sione Takitaki, he projects as an NFL backup who can hold his own when he sees the field.
GRADE: 6th Round

PFF


Muasau loves to be physical and does not shy away from
doing the dirty work of playing linebacker. His lower size
profile makes him quick and explosive, but that lack of
weight really shows up when taking on and shedding blocks.
He can also be late to recognize where the ball is going.
PROFILE
• Embraces and welcomes the physical requirements of the
 position.
• Comfortable and confident in clutter and chaos.
• Takes pride in doing the dirty work to contain the run and set the
 edge.
• Will bulldoze running backs in pass protection.
• Can be late to recognize where ball carriers are going.
• Can get overpowered by most offensive linemen due to lower
 weight (even with momentum).
• Plays a style that requires more weight.