Despite being a steady NFL pipeline for well over a decade, the Utah Utes have only had one offensive lineman drafted since 2020. Will Sataoa Laumea be the one to break that drought?
What does Laumea’s NFL Draft outlook look like? Can he make an impact for an NFL franchise?
Sataoa Laumea Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’4″
- Weight: 319 pounds
- Position: OT
- School: Utah
- Current year: Redshirt Junior
- Hand: 9 5/8″
- Arm: 33″
- Wingspan: 80 6/8″
A four-star recruit, Laumea was a highly decorated recruit coming out of Eisenhower High School. He played both sides of the ball in high school while also participating in shot and discus throwing. He won All-CIF Southern Section Division 10 Offensive Player of the Year and was invited to the 2019 Polynesian Bowl.
After finishing a decorated high school career, Laumea joined the Utes in 2019. He redshirted in 2019 but started every game during the COVID-shortened 2020 season at right guard, earning an All-Pac-12 nomination.
Sataoa Laumea (@LaumeaSataoa), @Utah_Football
“There’s a reason he’s earned All-Pac-12 honors over the past two seasons. This year, he could leverage that play into a 2023 draft pick.”
Read the full sleepers here ⤵️https://t.co/c3nQnxJO8U pic.twitter.com/ynZc6W2rqT
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) June 12, 2022
Laumea continued that success into 2021 and 2022, playing right guard all of 2021 before kicking out to right tackle in 2022. He would earn a spot as a Pac-12 first-teamer in 2022 at right tackle, forming a critical cog in Utah’s conference title run and Rose Bowl bid.
2023 saw Laumea stay at right tackle for the entire season. Despite a down year relative to Utah’s standards, Laumea remained a steady mainstay at right tackle and earned a Pac-12 second-team spot. After playing in 45 career games for the Utes, he declared for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Laumea’s Scouting Report
Games Watched: UCLA (2023), Florida (2023), Oregon (2023), USC (2023), Washington (2023), Arizona (2023)
Strengths
- Explosive out his stance
- Strong initial punch
- Quick to diagnose stunts and blitzes
- Quick to transition to his anchor, can withstand bull rushers
- Scoops defenders out of gaps with good play strength
- Good athleticism to kick outside as a puller or climb to targets in space
- Excellent competitive toughness; will compete till the whistle blows every snap
- Positional versatility for guard and tackle
Weaknesses
- Hand placement can be spotty
- Burned by savvier rushers who displace his initial strikes
- Choppy footwork out of his passing sets limits his ability to mirror rushers
- Frequent lunger against speed rushers
- Overcompensates against speed by oversetting
- Maintain pad-level consistency in run blocking
Current Draft Projection and Summary
The tools are evident on Laumea’s film. His quickness out of his stance is tremendous for his size and helps keep him in front of rushers. Add onto that good play strength, athleticism, and awareness, and it makes Laumea’s floor pretty solid. His competitive toughness will endear him to coaches as well.
How he hits his ceiling may depend on the team that drafts him. Laumea can play both tackle and guard in the NFL, but he might be quicker to start at guard, as it can keep him “in a booth” and limit his issues against speed rushers around the arc. However, the Utah OL can also sit behind a vet and develop at right tackle, as he has the tools to be a reliable starter if he can iron out some of his inconsistencies.
Overall, Laumea’s make him one of the more intriguing developmental options in this draft class. He could work his way into a Day 2 pick, but if he isn’t, I’d expect to hear his name called early on Day 3.
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