Defensive Tackle/Nose Tackle

Oregon State

6-1 303

Draft board overall prospect rank: #30

Draft board overall defensive tackle rank: #5

Overall rating: 81 (early 2nd)

40 time: 5.11 (projected)

3/29/11: You probably know Stephen Paea as the guy who damn near benched 50 reps of 225 at The Combine (he had 49, but said he would have done 50 if he known that’s how many he had), shattering the previous record of 44. However, he’s more than some guy who is great in the weight room. Certainly, lifting that much doesn’t hurt his stock. I know most of the guys who have benched 40+ in the past aren’t in the NFL anymore, hell, I had never heard of half of them and the ones I had (Brodrick Bunkley) I had heard of for the wrong reasons. However, Paea strength translates to the field. He has great strength and leverage, both upper and lower body, and can play the 3-4 and the 4-3 nose despite being a “mere” 303 pounds.

He has an amazing work ethic and he keeps himself in great shape with a low body fat. He’s a self made athlete and his motor never shuts off. His arms are a little short and his natural athleticism is subpar, but he makes up for it in effort. He’s also a little short, which hurts him as a pass rusher and limits him to simply the nose in a 3-4, rather than giving him the potential to move to end.

He does have good bull rushing moves and he had 7 sacks last year for Oregon State, though clearly his ability against the run is his calling card. He also has some upside. He’s a former rugby player who has only been playing football for 6 years after coming over to the states as a high schooler from Tonga (no idea where that is). He also spent 2 years on a junior college team before transferring to Oregon State, where he started 3 years and made an immediate impact.

His knee also should be mentioned. He tore his meniscus at the Senior Bowl and has yet to work out, with the exception of his bench press. He has a private Pro Day set up on March 31^st, but general consensus is that his knee will keep him out of the late 1^st and push him into the 2^nd. Chicago at 29, might have interest, but other than that, it’s very unlikely he goes in the first.

NFL Comparison: Dewayne Robertson