3-4 Defensive End/Defensive Tackle 

California

6-3 294

40 time: 4.87

Draft board overall prospect rank: #41

Draft board 3-4 defensive end rank: #5

Overall rating: 79*

1/20/10: Not a great athlete, but makes up for in with hustle and work ethic which is a major plus for his draft stock in my eyes. He also has experience in a 3-4 scheme as a defensive end, which gives him an advantage over the other 3-4 defensive end prospects in this draft class. He has 13 sacks over the last 2 years and always seems to be in good position to make the tackle. He isn’t an ideal 4-3 defensive tackle at 4-3, but he’ll fit some schemes and can move inside on nickel packages. He can also play some 4-3 left end depending on how a team views him because he has experience as an edge rusher.

            11/8/09: Alualu is the stereotypical overachiever that NFL scouts love. He has amazing heart and hustle and consistently exceeds expectations. Unlike most 3-4 defensive end prospects, Alualu has experience at the position playing 3-4 at Cal. He has a good size, speed combination for a passer rusher and is great at using his hands on bull rushes. He has good initial quickness, upper body strength, and leverage. He’s a natural run stopper and gets into gaps to break plays up before the ball carrier expects it. Relentless in pursuit of the ball carrier and plays faster than he’s timed. He lacks the size to play defensive tackle in the NFL. He’s nothing more than a nickel package defensive tackle in a 4-3 defense because he doesn’t have the size to play multiple gaps. He lacks great natural athleticism and doesn’t have very long arms, but he is a gym rat and has good self made athleticism. He doesn’t have a huge ceiling, but should be the type of 3-4 defensive end that stabilizes a defensive line for 8-10 years in the NFL.

NFL Comparison: Cory Redding

*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here