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Athletic tests attract all the attention in the NFL Scouting Combine. How fast is everyone running? How many repetitions on the bench can you perform? How high and / or far can they jump? What is their time for three cones? Everyone wants to know.
Of course, we all know that body interviews and measurements can be just as important. Teams have specific criteria that want players to hit certain positions.
On Friday, the offensive struggles took their physical measurements. And something very interesting happened. Daniel Faalele of Minnesota measured 6 feet 8 and weighed 384 pounds. According to ESPN.com, this makes him the heaviest player at the plant since 1999, when former Wisconsin match Aaron Gibson weighed 386 pounds.
Faalele said Thursday that he actually weighed 426 pounds when he first arrived in Minnesota in 2018. He also said he would like to drop to 375 by the time he reaches NFL training camp. The former rugby and basketball player noted that the Eagles are battling Jordan Mailata, who is similar in size and weight (6 feet 8 and 365 pounds) and background (he also plays rugby) with Faalele, has been successful in the NFL and is making him he feels as if he can do it. He met with Mailata last month and the couple got along.
“It was cool. It’s as if I’ve known him for an eternity, “Faalele said. “He gave me his number, just a great friend and mentor.”
Faalele started 31 games with a proper match for Minnesota and is considered a possible choice for Day 2. He is the No. 38 player in the CBS Sports prospects rankings, although he checked slightly lower in places like The Athletic (№ 52). ESPN (No. 53) and Pro Football Focus (No. 83). However, most describe him as selected for the second or third round. The e-mail was taken in the seventh round a few years ago, which helped pave the way for Faalele to climb even higher.