Viliami Fehoko Scouting Report and NFL Draft Profile

 

 

Viliami Fehoko Scouting Report: San Jose St., Edge

 

 

2023 NFL Draft Measurements

40-Yard Dash: 4.72 (estimated)

6‘4“ / 263 lbs.

 

 

Viliami Fehoko Draft Profile

Viliami started his journey to the NFL by playing his prep ball at Saint Francis High School in East Palo Alto, California. Thanks to a solid senior season, he would earn numerous post-season awards. These included first-team All-West Coast Athletic League, Bay Area News Group first-team All-Bay Area, and San Francisco Chronicle Honorable Mention All-Metro. 247Sports would grade him as a 3-star recruit, and Fehoko would go on to receive offers from multiple Pac-12 schools including; Washington, Oregon St., Colorado, Cal-Berkley, and Arizona. However, he would decide to sign with San Jose St.

After redshirting his first season with the Spartans, Fehoko would quickly insert himself into the starting role. Over the next three seasons, he would play in 32 games, starting 31 of them. Viliami would help the Spartans win the Mountain West Conference championship in 2020. That season he not only led the conference, but ranked 17th in the nation in tackles for loss with 12.5. In 2021, he would lead San Jose in tackles for loss (10.5), sacks (7), and forced fumbles (3).

Then came 2022. Viliami started off being tabbed by multiple publications to the All-Mountain West preseason team. He rewarded the writers and coaches by finishing the season 4th in the nation in tackles for loss (18.5), and 10th in the nation in sacks (9). He would be named to the All-Mountain West first-team for the third straight season and be named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year. Let’s not forget the All-American nods. Both Pro Football Focus and Sporting News named Fehoko to their second teams, while Phil Steele put him on his fourth-team. PFF also graded Viliami as their 5th best edge rusher for the season.

In total, Fehoko finished his college career with 191 total tackles, 46 tackles for loss, and 23 sacks. But how does all this success at San Jose St. translate to the NFL? Let’s find out!

 

Strengths

 

Explosive

I loved the way that Fehoko comes off the snap. Mix that with his strength and you had a great ability to really disrupt a play. This is easily seen by his 19 tackles for loss and nine sacks in 2022. While I don’t see great speed, the acceleration off the snap is more than enough to make up for it.

 

Powerful

I briefly mentioned it in my last point, but Viliami is a strong, powerful rusher. Against pass blocking, you see him blow up offensive lineman, pushing them back into the quarterback. But he shows it against the run as well. I very rarely saw him losing ground. Even when matched up against multiple blockers. Fehoko was more than strong enough to hold his ground.

 

Weaknesses

 

Loses Leverage

Even with his explosiveness and power, there are times when Fehoko loses out on a battle. This mainly comes down to his technique. From time-to-time Viliami gets a little too upright. He then loses his leverage advantage and gets taken out of the play. The good thing is that I believe that this is coachable. But it does lead me to my next point.

 

Consistency/Conditioning

I put both consistency and conditioning because I’m not sure which one it is. The problem is that there are times when Fehoko seems like the most dominant player on the field. Other times it’s like he isn’t even there. As a matter of fact, there were plenty of times where he would sit out completed defensive series. So which one is it? If he can get this figured out himself, he could see himself go from a rotational guy to a difference maker in the NFL.

 

Viliami Fehoko Draft Stock

Entering the season I don’t think that Fehoko was on many team’s radar. However, a strong 2022 season has seen him go from unknown to a potential late draft pickup. That momentum hasn’t slowed down since the season ending either. There are some that are starting to say that he could potentially sneak into the Top 100.

 

Final Thoughts on Viliami Fehoko

While I have only looked into a few defensive lineman/edge rushers during this draft cycle, Fehoko has been one of my favorites to watch. I don’t think that he’ll go before him in the draft, but I like him better than Keion White. I think that Fehoko will continue to build on his 2022 momentum during the 2023 NFL Combine, and we’ll hear his name called by the end of Round 3.

 

Viliami Fehoko Player Comparison

Boye Mafe – OLB Seattle Seahawks. Taken in the 2nd round (40th selection) of 2022 NFL Draft. Similar size, but also similar skill set. I do feel like Mafe was better with using his hands coming out of Minnesota than Fehoko, who I feel gets by more with power.

Viliami Fehoko Scouting Report Analyst – Brandon Claburn