After three seasons of starting at the collegiate level, Arizona Wildcats right tackle Jonah Savaiinaea projects as one of the top offensive linemen in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Wildcats had an offensive lineman selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft when the Packers took Jordan Morgan with the No. 25 overall pick. Given the tape that Savaiinaea put together throughout his tenure at Arizona, they could end up with another lineman getting his name called on Day 1 this year.
Jonah Savaiianea’s Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’5″
- Weight: 336 pounds
- Position: Offensive Tackle/Offensive Guard
- School: Arizona
- Current Year: Junior
Savaiinaea was a three-star recruit coming out of Saint Louis School in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was born in Tafuna, American Samoa, the village where Commanders All-Pro linebacker Frankie Luvu was born. Ranked as the No. 3 prospect from Hawaii in the 2022 class, he committed to Arizona over offers from other schools, including Arizona State, Hawaii, UCF, and Syracuse.
As a true freshman, Savaiinaea started all 12 games as Arizona’s right guard. He went 791 snaps without a penalty and allowed just two sacks in 2022. He made the jump outside to right tackle for most of 2023, starting all 13 games in his sophomore season and playing right tackle in all but two of them.
Though Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch departed for Washington after the 2023 season, Savaiinaea stayed put in Tuscon and returned to the Wildcats for his true junior year. He started in 11 games in 2024, splitting time between left tackle and right tackle. Though his sacks allowed jumped from two to four compared to the previous season, his penalties fell from four to one, and hurries allowed fell from 11 to nine.
Scouting Report
Strengths
- Has a powerful frame that carries his weight well.
- Experience starting at both guard and tackle should amplify his plug-and-play value right away in the NFL.
- Maximizes his raw power with a low center of gravity, good bend in his lower half, and ideal weight distribution.
- Strong lower body makes it tougher for the opposition to push the pocket against him when he’s in pass protection.
- Does a good job of keeping his head on a swivel, which aids him against blitzes and exotic rush packages.
- Sound zone-run processor who executes his assignments with an acute understanding of how to clear out his area.
- Keeps a wide base and has solid redirection capabilities for a player his size.
- Size-adjusted athleticism should test pretty well, as he’s quicker off the line of scrimmage than most offensive line prospects who weigh in around his listed weight.
- Does a good job of rolling his hips through contact to seal off defenders in the run game.
Weaknesses
- Length doesn’t seem particularly great for an offensive tackle, which could make him a candidate to kick inside to guard.
- Though his size-adjusted athleticism is good, there are plenty of other offensive tackles in this class with quicker feet who can cover more ground in their kick slide than he can.
- Tends to lunge too often, mistiming his jabs and affecting his center of gravity and balance in the trenches.
- Struggles against wide-9 edge rushers, as he tends to overcompensate for a lack of elite explosiveness by opening his hips too far in his pass sets. This leaves him susceptible to inside rushes across his chest.
- Can struggle changing direction in pass protection when he’s tasked with blocking speedier edge rushers.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
I project Savaiinaea best as an offensive guard at the NFL level, where his average range as a blocker due to a lack of top-notch length and agility can be better masked. Because of his abilities in pass protection, his ceiling is arguably higher inside, as well.
A sturdy, well-built offensive lineman with a powerful anchor, Savaiinaea does a good job of keeping his pads low and his weight underneath him. Though he’s primarily experienced as a zone-run blocker, he has enough gap experience to project into that kind of system, too. He also has a strong upper body and keeps a wide base as a blocker.
Savaiinaea’s inside-outside versatility should help him, as he could realistically step in as a starter right away at whichever position his NFL team needs him at the most. He’s a plug-and-play starter who could be a good tackle or a great guard, and it’s just a matter of which of the two you would prioritize from there.
Interior offensive linemen typically get drafted later than offensive tackles, so if NFL teams view him as a guard, there’s a chance he could fall out of the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. That said, his tape and his resume are strong enough that he shouldn’t fall outside of the top 50 picks.
