NFL Draft: Arizona Lineman Freddie Tagaloa Awaiting NFL Chance

With a few Arizona Football players hoping to be drafted in the NFL this weekend, some may not have a better chance than Arizona lineman, Freddie Tagaloa.

The mountainous mass from Southern California, initially came to Tucson via transfer, after having played just a couple of seasons at Cal prior. As Freddie Tagaloa officially moves on from the team, he is hoping to join the many hopefuls in getting drafted this weekend.

Standing a massive 6-feet-8-inches and over 300 pounds, Tagaloa’s size is easily what jumps out at you first. Although a staple on the offensive line the past two seasons, Tagaloa’s time with Arizona was limited, and last season he certainly battled injury.

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Tagaloa, originally a standout lineman at Salesian High School in Richmond, CA, he has made a bit of a name for himself. He transferred to Arizona in 2014 but had to sit out that first season due to transfer rules.

With high hopes, and big hype heading into 2015, Tagaloa battled injury all season, limiting his production and play. Ultimately, it also hindered some of his development on the football field, which is where he seemed to struggle.

Hoping to put 2015 past him, Tagaloa again suffered some setbacks this past season, which I’m sure he and others would like to try and forget. Don’t forget, Tagaloa also had knee surgery that made him miss all of spring ball in 2016.

So it can certainly be fair to say that Freddie hasn’t exactly had the fairest shake to truly showcase his skills and ability. There are some questions to his game, but one thing you cannot deny is his massive size and sheer strength.

At Arizona’s pro day, Tagaloa certainly seemed to impress, showing scouts that he is indeed a big, physical specimen. He also benched the most out of any Arizona football player that was testing, Tagaloa benched 225 pounds an impressive 41 times! Wow!

Thanks in part to that showing, Tagaloa is currently ranked as the No. 20 overall guard in the draft class according to NFL Draft Analyst, Mel Kiper Jr.

According to CBSSports.com, Tagaloa is rated as the 713th player overall in the 2017 draft class. Just by size and strength alone, Freddie has those tangible, physical attributes that scouts seek. However, he struggled a bit in his time at Arizona, and it’s a matter of whether he can overcome some of those deficiencies, and be a good football player at the next level.

Here is some older film of Tagaloa, again just showing his potential:

Must Read: More on other Arizona Football Draft Hopefuls

At Zona Zealots, we’re hopeful, that Freddie will be given a chance. He may not have lived up to the hype at Arizona due to some injuries and setbacks, but he is a talented football player that will work hard, and if given the opportunity, we know he’ll shine! Bear Down, Freddie!