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NFL Draft: Halapoulivaati Vaitai, OG, TCU scouting report

By Sayre Bedinger

Oct 18, 2014; Fort Worth, TX, USA; TCU Horned Frogs tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai (74) in action against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 18, 2014; Fort Worth, TX, USA; TCU Horned Frogs tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai (74) in action against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /
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2016 NFL Draft scouting report for Halapoulivaati Vaitai, the offensive tackle from the TCU Horned Frogs who could wind up playing inside as he transitions to the NFL…

Halapoulivaati Vaitai.

I guess we can now say we’ve seen it all.

I don’t know whether to be more impressed by his name or his football skills, but either way, we’ll see the former TCU Horned Frog on an NFL roster next NFL season.

Mr. Vaitai is an intriguing blend of upper body strength and overall size, and I’m excited for us to take a look at him together here. Here’s his tape against the Oregon Ducks and one of the best defensive prospects in this year’s draft, Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner…

At A Glance

Next Level Projection

As you can see by his measurables, Vaitai is not the most nimble of feet compared to his peers at the tackle position. What he lacks in foot quickness he makes up for in size, explosion, and upper body strength. Vaitai showed in the tape that I watched an ability to control linemen with his pad level and the ability to sit down and just absorb defenders.

However, playing the left tackle position, it was clear that when a quarterback was going into a deep drop and Vaitai had to use his foot quickness, it was more of a problem than not. Speed rushers had a tendency to get the best of him, and the deeper the drop, the quicker they were able to get by.

This has led some to believe that Vaitai will transition best to guard in the pros, which isn’t a bad thing, he just didn’t play it at TCU. He did a good enough job handling LT duties as a Horned Frog but in the NFL, his slow feet won’t cut it at left tackle. You have to be a dancing bear to handle some of the pass rushers in this league. Just take a look at the Super Bowl 50 film.

All of this said, I think Vaitai can excel as a guard. You’ll see in that Oregon tape the way he handles DeForest Buckner, at times with relative ease. He has no problems pushing people around, being physical, and doing a great job of keeping pass rushers at bay when they try to come at him one on one.

Vaitai should be able to handle interior rushers given some time to develop to the speed of the NFL game, but because of his lack of experience at guard and the fact that he doesn’t project great as a left tackle in the pros, he could be drafted on day three.

I think there’s potential here for a starter, but he needs the right situation and coaching.

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