Notre Dame is always a factory for NFL talent, and this year is no different. Already, players like Kyle Hamilton and Jarrett Patterson have garnered praise at their respective positions. But even beyond them, there are prospects to take note of. One of those prospects is Notre Dame DE Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, whose 2022 NFL Draft scouting report features both upside and versatility.
Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa NFL Draft Profile
- Position: Defensive End
- School: Notre Dame
- Current Year: Redshirt Senior
- Height: 6’2″
- Weight: 268 pounds
Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa Scouting Report
There’s been no shortage of defensive line talent to come out of South Bend in recent years. Over the past decade, NFL Draft picks like Stephon Tuitt, Sheldon Day, Isaac Rochell, Jerry Tillery, Khalid Kareem, Daelin Hayes, and Adetokunbo Ogundeji got their starts with the Fighting Irish. That group features a mix of defensive tackles and defensive ends, but the next player on the list has experience at both positions.
Tagovailoa-Amosa has been with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish since 2017. Across that time span, he’s been a consistent presence on the team’s defensive line. With his experience and physical traits, can Tagovailoa-Amosa earn a coveted spot on the 2022 NFL Draft board? Let’s take a closer look at his profile.
Tagovailoa-Amosa’s athletic profile
Tagovailoa-Amosa is an extremely interesting player, due in large part to his versatile past as a defensive lineman. Last year, he was up over 280 pounds and playing on the interior. This season, he trimmed down to 268, and he’s primarily playing on the edge, although he still rotates inside on occasion.
Predictably, Tagovailoa-Amosa has a dense, heavy frame for his position and solid proportional length. That length serves as a nice conduit to generate force. He’s a powerful player who can shove blockers aside with forceful extensions. With those extensions, he can also compress the backfield and eliminate pocket space. Tagovailoa-Amosa can generate a great deal of force by extending his arms into his opponent’s torso, and those extensions are a large part of his game.
With his size, Tagovailoa-Amosa plays with great natural leverage and pad level. He also has some measured athleticism within his frame. The Notre Dame DE has good burst off the snap, and he generates strong initial momentum. That burst also shows up when closing in tackling situations.
Tagovailoa-Amosa is fairly twitchy coming off the line, and when extended, he has solid leg drive. He has some lateral burst when traversing the edge, and he’s displayed a spin move in his arsenal on the interior. He brings good pursuit speed, although this derives more from his hustle. Although he shouldn’t be used in space often, he does have the length and spatial awareness to drop back in coverage in tighter spots.
Execution beyond the physical traits
Tagovailoa-Amosa’s physical profile is one of the more intriguing parts of his game, but the Notre Dame DE has an excellent mental makeup as well. He comes off the line with a lot of juice and energy, and he’s an extremely high-motor player even as plays draw on. Beyond that, he’s clearly picked up some things with his sheer experience over the years.
Tagovailoa-Amosa knows how to split double-teams with violent hands. He uses those same violent hands to take advantage of imbalanced linemen in the running game. He knows to reset his hands as he drives opponents back to maximize leverage as a pass rusher. He’s also shown flashes of targeted usage.
Additionally, Tagovailoa-Amosa is opportunistic when quarterbacks expose themselves in space. The Notre Dame DE can proactively use his length to jar out the ball, generating turnovers. He’s also shown that he can diagnose screens and seal off lanes with his frame. Expanding on that frame, with his size and experience on the interior, Tagovailoa-Amosa is excellent at stunting inside and has great projected versatility.
Areas for improvement
There’s a type of EDGE mold that’s come out of Notre Dame in recent years. Tagovailoa-Amosa is a different style player from what we’ve seen. That’s good, but there are also some limitations to recognize.
While Tagovailoa-Amosa has good burst and great power, he might not be an elite athlete. He doesn’t have elite long-track explosiveness. Longer linemen can gather him, and his burst sometimes fades out as he reaches the apex of his rushes. At that apex, Tagovailoa-Amosa doesn’t have the bend or dip to reduce his surface area and pinch the corner. Additionally, Tagovailoa-Amosa doesn’t have the sheer speed to get around the edge. Meanwhile, in space, the Notre Dame DE can be stiff and lumbering as a mover.
Moving forward, Tagovailoa-Amosa can keep refining his hand usage. His hands aren’t always as precise or as targeted as they need to be. He often defers to his extensions. While those are powerful, defensive linemen need to be more creative in certain situations regarding usage and stacking counters.
Among other things, Tagovailoa-Amosa sometimes loses his balance after first approach. His anchor placement can be streaky at times, which can sap away his leverage in run-defending situations. The Notre Dame DE might be a better fit on the interior at the next level, although he is versatile.
Tagovailoa-Amosa’s NFL Draft scouting report overview
Right away, a lot of Tagovailoa-Amosa’s traits are appealing. The Notre Dame DE can generate ample power with his short-area burst and length. Furthermore, with his natural leverage and reach, he can be versatile, and a lot of his best reps come on the interior. Having that flexibility across the line will increase his standing on draft boards.
With this in mind, however, a move back to the interior as a primary position might be in the cards for Tagovailoa-Amosa when he reaches the NFL. He doesn’t have the long-track explosiveness or speed to be a threat around the edge. His traits translate better to consistent production inside at 3-technique. But for teams with hybrid fronts, his experience across the line will be an asset.
Beyond his physical tools, Tagovailoa-Amosa is a high-motor player and a high-character person. A team captain with a wealth of experience and versatility, he should safely be in the draft discussion. And if he keeps producing, he could be drafted safely within the middle rounds.
Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa Player Profile
Even all the way out in Kapolei, Hawaii, Tagovailoa-Amosa was still on Brian Kelly’s radar. A 6’2″, 265-pound defensive tackle prospect, Tagovailoa-Amosa was already a well-developed football prospect, and he had the dominant production to match. As a senior in high school, Tagovailoa-Amosa put up 18 sacks and 34 tackles for loss.
Despite his production, Tagovailoa-Amosa was only a three-star recruit and the 45th-ranked defensive tackle on ESPN’s board. Nevertheless, Tagovailoa-Amosa still had interest from a bevy of Power Five schools, including USC, Oregon, Washington, and Georgia Tech. Tagovailoa-Amosa could’ve stayed on the West Coast, but the prospect of being in Notre Dame’s NFL pipeline was too enticing to ignore.
Tagovailoa-Amosa enrolled with the Fighting Irish ahead of the 2017 season and made the trek to South Bend.
Tagovailoa-Amosa’s career at Notre Dame
Almost immediately, Tagovailoa-Amosa was a natural on the college football stage, and he infused the Notre Dame defensive line with needed depth and talent. Although he wasn’t at the top of the depth chart, Tagovailoa-Amosa was a steady contributor in his true-freshman campaign. The Notre Dame DE appeared in all 13 games and logged 13 total tackles and 2 tackles for loss.
Tagovailoa-Amosa was set for an increase in production the following year. However, early on, the Notre Dame DE broke his foot. He took a medical redshirt and returned in 2019, where he then became a starter on the defensive front. Tagovailoa-Amosa would carry that starting title through 2020. Across that two-year span at defensive tackle, Tagovailoa-Amosa amassed 40 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, a forced fumble, a pass deflection, and 3 fumble recoveries.
In 2021, the Fighting Irish changed defensive coordinators and brought in upstart coach Marcus Freeman from Cincinnati. Under Freeman’s direction, Tagovailoa-Amosa shaved off around 15 pounds and slid out to the edge. He’s still on the interior situationally, but his ability to shift around the line has only magnified his propensity for production.
Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa’s NFL Draft ascension
It hasn’t at all been easy for Tagovailoa-Amosa. The move from Hawaii to the heartland was a big change. By 2021, Tagovailoa-Amosa had grown accustomed to his environment. But this past summer only brought more adversity. Unexpectedly, Tagovailoa-Amosa’s father passed away.
It’s always too soon to lose a parent, but Tagovailoa-Amosa can look back and be thankful for the example his father set. And looking forward, there’s still more to do to make him proud. If you ask Tagovailoa-Amosa’s teammates, however, he already accomplished that. Tagovailoa-Amosa is revered within Notre Dame’s locker room. Even with the loss of his father, he came back to be a positive force for his teammates. And they rewarded him with a “C” on his chest.
Now, for his father and his teammates, Tagovailoa-Amosa is eager to prove he deserves it. Early on in 2021, he’s accomplished just that. And if the Senior Bowl watch list player keeps producing the way he has been, the 2022 NFL Draft may be next.