By Charlie Campbell
Weaknesses:
Summary: After starting out his collegiate career at Tennessee, To’oTo’o transferred to Alabama and turned into a quality starter for the Crimson Tide. In 2020 with the Volunteers, he had a solid season, recording 76 stops, an interception and two passes broken up. After joining Alabama in 2021, he improved his totals to 111 tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble and two passes defended on the year. To’oTo’o could have been a second-day pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but he decided to return to school. As a senior, To’oTo’o recorded 94 tackles and 2.5 sacks for Crimson Tide.
To’oTo’o proved to be a good run defender at Alabama, and he really improved over his final season. The trait that really stands out about To’oTo’o is his instinctiveness, and he uses them to get in position to make tackles. To’oTo’o is a step ahead of the defense and has advanced read-and-react skills. The senior was stronger, more physical, and better at taking on blocks in 2022. To go along with his mental acumen, To’oTo’o is fast and athletic able to go sideline-to-sideline. With his skill set and instincts, To’oTo’o should be a good run defender in the NFL.
To’oTo’o is one of the top pass-coverage linebackers for the 2023 NFL Draft. He is a fast linebacker who covers a lot of ground in zone coverage while also showing the ability to run down the middle seam. To’oTo’o should be a nice asset to cover tight ends running vertically down the middle of the field and running backs leaking out of the backfield, plus To’oTo’o also should be a good defender to help with receivers crossing the middle of the field. On top of being able to cover up receivers, To’oTo’o is smart and uses his instincts to get in throwing lanes and disrupt passes. To’oTo’o’s pass coverage is well-suited to the modern game, and he should be an asset in coverage quickly in his pro career.
On top of being a future three-down starter, To’oTo’o could be a valuable contributor on special teams thanks to possessing the sought-after special teams characteristics of STI – aspeed, toughness and instincts.
Team sources say in the passing-driven, modern-day NFL, To’oTo’o should be a great fit as starting three-down Will linebacker. In the 2023 NFL Draft, To’oTo’o could sneak into Round 1, and he should not go lower than the second round.
Player Comparison: C.J. Mosley. To’oTo’o is a few inches shorter, but he is similar style linebacker to Mosley. Both are good in coverage and solid run defenders.
RELATED LINKS:
2023 NFL Mock Draft: Charlie’s | Walt’s
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