Family Ties Bond Misi

Dolphins rookie and assistant strength coach Dave Puloka are third cousins

They had no idea of their connection. Not a single clue.

Not before the NFL Draft, when the Miami Dolphins were preparing to take Koa Misi in the second round as Jason Taylor's successor.

Not during rookie minicamp, when the Utah product showed up and began in earnest the process of reshaping his body to outside linebacker standards in a 3-4 NFL defense.

It was only after Misi returned from a celebratory dinner back in Utah with some distant relatives he'd barely even met that Dave Puloka connected the dots.
Puloka, in his third season as the Dolphins' assistant strength and conditioning coach, was working the rookie hard in the weight room during OTA's when Misi casually mentioned they were related.

"My family said they know you," Misi said.

"Oh, really," replied Puloka, also of Tongan extraction. "Who's your family?"

As soon as Misi said the name "Lavulo," Puloka knew. He checked out this unknown branch of the family tree with his cousin Lisa Lavulo, who confirmed it from Los Angeles.

"This is a couple of generations, so the exact connection, we're not entirely sure," Puloka says. "It's a little confusing."

Sione Misi, Koa's father, says they are basically third cousins.

As best they can establish, the connection dates back to Melenaite Misi, Koa's 67-year-old paternal grandmother, and Latu Puloka, the coach's late grandfather.

The Lavulo branch traces back to Ha'apai, one of the smaller islands in the South Pacific chain of 148 tiny land masses – "depending on high tide/low tide," Puloka says —that make up Tonga.

If there are 100,000 residents of Tonga as a whole, there might be no more than 5,000 on Ha'apai. And now two men with roots on that island are working for the same NFL team.

What are the odds?

"It's been weird to find that out," says Misi, who grew up in Santa Rosa, Calif., while Puloka, 31, spent part of his childhood on the island.

Not that it buys Misi any quarter when it comes to conditioning.

"I don't give him any special treatment or anything," Puloka says. "If anything I might be harder on him."

Their connection does lead to some zingers in between squats.

"I joke with him a little bit," says Puloka, who has worked under head strength coach Evan Marcus the past six years. "I'll say, 'If you slack off, I might call up your grandmother and tell on you.' "

Keeping weight on has been the issue for Misi, who was drafted at 244 pounds and has since packed on about 10 pounds of muscle with Puloka's help.

"He's good," Misi says. "Both the strength coaches will push you to your limits and make sure you're doing the right thing. I talk to Dave about eating right."

Seeing Misi now, Puloka can recognize the same family traits that helped him play defensive end at Holy Cross and attend Bengals training camp as an undrafted free agent in 2001.

"Certainly he's a high-motor guy," Puloka says. "His work ethic is tremendous. I'd like to think that runs in the family."

Misi isn't even the only Tongan on the Dolphins. Offensive guard Ray Feinga, on the practice squad, has Tongan roots as well. Fellow outside linebacker Ikaika Alama-Francis is Hawaiian, and nose tackle Paul Soliai is Samoan.

"We've got a Polynesian contingent here," Puloka says. "I kind of talk up the Tongans a little bit. I told Ray he's got some standards to live up to."

Misi, with a sack and a fumble recovery for a touchdown through his first two games, is certainly meeting those standards.

His third cousin couldn't be more proud. Same for the whole Lavulo wing of the family Misi never knew.

"You have to understand the cultural aspects of it," Puloka says. "Even in Tonga, there's no distinction between brother and cousin. It's one and the same. You take care of everybody."

Especially the rookies.

"You hear about the expression, 'You're raised by the town' or 'It takes a village,' well, it really does,." Puloka says. "It's a huge community. If you're related, whether you're second cousin, third cousin, it really doesn't matter. In that culture you're considered brother, sister, very close sibling."
 
Full Article

Miami Dolphins' Koa Misi Has No Identity Crisis

Since the moment Miami devoted a second-round pick to him on April 23, rookie linebacker Koa Misi almost immediately was linked to one of the most popular and talented defensive players in Dolphins history.

Fair or not, this was the player charged with the task of replacing Jason Taylor as the team's outside linebacker -- an assumption based purely on the position he plays, the early pick used to land him and the timing of his arrival.

But before anyone gets too caught up in such comparisons, perhaps it is time to first take a lesson from Misi himself. Hop into his mellow mind for a few moments and you will realize such stresses almost seem silly.

``I'm just my own guy,'' Misi said, not a drop of irritability in his voice. ``Growing up, I never really watched football. I never really watched any sports. I still don't. I just go out there and play.''

As he said Sunday, while wearing the same jersey number as ousted defensive captain Joey Porter, it's almost as if he also doesn't realize why it's ironic that a quiet, mild-mannered linebacker has inherited No. 55.
Then, it becomes clear:

``Did you ever watch the guy play who wore that number before you?'' Misi was asked.


Replied Misi: ``No, not really,'' followed by a polite shrug.

If you're still missing the point, it's simple. The Dolphins' devotion to the future and their dismissal of the past often has been viewed as harsh and cold. But Misi, with his ferocity on the field and his placidness away from it, might be the ideal remedy.

On the field, Misi will have every chance to fill the vacancy as the team's starting strong-side linebacker, which opened up by Taylor's departure. But it might not be in the natural sense many assume.

STRONG COVERAGE SKILLS

Miami particularly was impressed with Misi's coverage skills when the team coached against him in the Senior Bowl. His ability to be so disruptive as a coverage linebacker is rare, and his desire to devote himself to such responsibilities is even more rare.

Porter and Taylor often dreaded playing in coverage, instead wishing to stick to their primary duties as sackmasters. Although Misi will see his share of edge rushing, the pressure on the quarterback will mainly come from different areas.

``This kid was out in one-on-one drills, creating interceptions at the Senior Bowl, those type of things,'' coach Tony Sparano said. ``I liked what he did with his movement, his range and his coverage skills.''

So whereas Misi will play the same position as Taylor, his skill set offers yet another reason why comparisons to one of the NFL's best all-time pass rushers are not all that relevant.

Don't mistake Misi's attitude toward Taylor and Porter as disrespectful, either. You get a sense that's not the case just from hearing him speak. He tried to make that clear on the first day of rookie minicamp, which concluded Sunday.

``I do look up to those guys [Porter and Taylor],'' Misi said. ``Those guys are good players, and they have earned their spots in the NFL, and that's something that I want to do. Hopefully, I can get to where they were one day.''

So, sure, Misi does accept some of the expectations placed on him as a result of the timing of his arrival. But it's in the same type of way, with the same type of refreshing reasons, that he cites Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis as his idol.

``I've seen him in some magazines, looking all pumped up and pumping everybody else up,'' Misi said of Lewis. ``I liked that.''

FORMATIVE YEARS

From an early age, Misi found himself sitting in front of a TV watching football, because his father, former Hawaii offensive lineman Sione Misi, wanted him to pick up on the game. At first, it didn't seem to work.

``My dad always used to make me watch,'' Misi said. ``He'd sit me down and make me look at what each guy was doing. I just got sick of it. It made me not want to watch it anymore. I just couldn't get into it.''

Instead, it wasn't until high school when he started to play the game and develop a deep passion for it. Then, Misi said, he only would watch football to pick up on the tendencies of other players.

To this day, he has trouble getting engulfed by football as a spectator, a quality that has allowed him to maintain his laid-back approach to the task he's about to face. Fortunately for the Dolphins, his passion to play the game has a far different tone to it.

``In general, I'm a little low-key,'' Misi said. ``Not too hyper. When I get on the football field, it changes. The aggression comes out. I'm ready to go when I play football. I'm ready to hit somebody.''

Full Article

Koa Misi Memories Gush From Viking Teammates & Coaches

We are going back now, going back six, seven years, when Koa Misi wasn’t a second-round NFL draft choice, when he was a high school football player. We are going back in time for glimpses of that talent which made Misi the 40th pick in the recent draft, images that will make you wish you were there to see him. Like the pinwheel moment.

About five football players, Misi among them, were in the Montgomery weight room, horsing around. As what happens sometimes when teenage testosterone rubs up against another kid who has a strong case of it, things got a little rough.

“Koa sent four kids flying out of the weight room, one right after another, fast, like a pinwheel was turning, spitting them out,” said Jason Franci, Montgomery’s head coach.

With ease, by the way. Franci didn’t hear any grunting from Misi, only from the teammates who landed.

“With ease”, now that’s the phrase I found to be used most commonly about Misi by his ex-teammates and ex-coaches at Montgomery. “With ease.” It wasn’t just what Misi did that was superior, it was how he did it. He did it with ease.

“After a game,” said Todd Vehmeyer, Montgomery’s defensive coordinator, “I’m standing with my back to the locker room door. And remember, I weigh 260 pounds. I’m not small. Koa comes up behind me, picks me up and gives me a bear hug that knocks the wind out of me. Koa? He’s not even breathing hard. You probably heard of someone being ‘country strong’. Well, Koa is island strong.”

Misi, of Tongan descent, created memories of his strength not by walking around and flexing his biceps. To the contrary, he was, still is, modest by nature. Oh yes, those memories came naturally.

“His dad, Sione, was in the tree business,” said Frank Scalercio, Montgomery’s assistant coach, “and one day I was out with Koa and Sione helping them. The back of the end of the truck got stuck in the mud. Koa and Sione lifted up the back end of the truck so I could slide a piece of wood underneath for traction. I remember thinking to myself, ‘Are you kidding me?’”

The truly gifted athlete — this is true of any sport but especially in football — forms the appearance of being twice as big, twice as fast, twice as strong. His very presence creates that enlarged bubble of awe around him.

It happened on the football fields of Sonoma County. The opposition was aware of Misi. Offenses constantly tracked him when he played defensive end. There would be times when a running back or a receiver or a quarterback would see Misi coming.

“And they would freeze, like a deer in the headlights,” Scalercio said. “It might be only for a second but it would be a mistake. Koa won’t slow down. He would just go through you.”

The results would be predictable because the results would be painful.

“On two consecutive plays against Casa,” said Jeremy Avilla, then a Montgomery safety, “Koa knocked players out of the game. One had a broken arm and missed most of the season.”

Nearly every person I interviewed about Misi remembered at least one game in which a player had to leave after a Misi tackle. He did it not to cripple but just to answer that need he had inside him — to play hard and fast on every play. Misi was developing a legend of awe, borne not only of what he did on the field but what he did off it.

Franci has a wooden platform. It’s three-feet high, two-feet wide. At the beginning of each season Franci asks his players to jump on it. He wants to see athletic ability.

“Each season I have four of five players who can land on the platform,” Franci said. “Koa is the only player I ever coached who jumped OVER it.”

Jumping is an important skill not just for a basketball player. It reveals flexibility, or a lack of it.

“Koa’s dad had this monster truck, with its flatbed maybe four feet off the ground,” Scalercio said. 

“We had to go somewhere one day and his dad said, ‘Koa, get in the back.’ Because the tailgate was so high, people hoisted themselves up. Koa? He jumped from a standing position and landed in the back. Like it was no big deal. Like he did it all the time. He looked like a gazelle. I mean it. And what I remember most, his landing was soft. I just shook my head. Couldn’t believe it.”

So he was a teenager, 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, island strong, a gazelle-type leaper, lover of contact. What else?

“Koa was so quick,” said Marcus Ezeff, a Montgomery teammate, now trying out with the New York Jets, “he’d catch people without them seeing him, and he’d cream them. He did it to this one kid at Casa and the kid just laid there the longest time. It was the kind of speed you see in college. I was always happy I never was on the opposite line of scrimmage.”

So what did Misi lack? Nothing.

“Koa reminded me a lot of Jerry Robinson,” Franci said of the ex-Cardinal Newman star who played 13 years in the NFL.

“Sure, yeah, we’d like to say the coaches made Koa a great player,” Vehmeyer said. “But that’s not true. Not with Koa. He was there already. And he was a great teammate.”

Misi never big-timed his high school buddies when he went to Utah or when the Dolphins drafted him last week. Fact is, he concealed his talent, his skills. He was, and is, the textbook definition of humble.

“That’s why when Koa was drafted,” Ezeff said, “it felt like I was drafted, too. We all root for Koa.”

Vehmeyer has a special rooting interest in Misi.

“I meet with my kids at the beginning of the year,” Vehmeyer said, “and I tell them, ‘You’re not going to play in the NFL but if by some chance you do, I want season tickets.’ I reminded Koa of that this week and all Koa said, ‘Coach, I don’t remember you saying that.’”

Vehmeyer laughed when he told the story. He doesn’t need the tickets. In fact, he could even say that Misi won’t show him anything in the NFL that he hasn’t seen already. Catch someone from behind like the guy was standing still? Drive through a ball carrier like he’s cotton candy? Run sideline-to-sideline like an obsessed border patrolman?

Yep, Vehmeyer’s been there. Seen that. Applauded. Gawked. Once, Koa Misi was a man among boys. Like Vehmeyer or Franci or Ezeff would say, you should have been there. A 225-pound blur of a hammer isn’t seen in these parts all that often.

Full Article

Miami Dolphins Select Koa Misi w/ The 40th Overall Pick

Koa Misi: Utah Utes' Highlights
Uploaded by Jodatoa. - Basketball, baseball, pro wrestling and more sports videos.

With the 40th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins have selected Utah outside linebacker Koa Misi.

Misi was a defensive end in Utah but will transition to linebacker in Miami's defense. Note that Mike Mayock does believe Misi could transition to inside linebacker as well as outside linebacker in this defense. More versatility for the Dolphins.

Solid pick. I like it.

Below is Koa Misi's scouting report from DraftCountdown.com:

Strengths:
Outstanding motor and gives excellent effort --- Very athletic --- Quick and agile with great balance --- Super explosive with a burst --- Terrific strength --- Uses his hands well --- Comfortable in space --- Appears to have fluid hips --- A hard worker --- Versatile --- Still has a lot of upside.

Weaknesses:
Just average size --- Questionable instincts --- Has trouble getting off blocks --- Not a great run defender --- Inconsistent --- Minor durability concerns --- Mediocre sack production --- May not have a  true position.

2010 Polynesian 2 Polynesian NFL Draft Comparisons

With the 2010 NFL Draft nearing I put together a Polynesian 2 Polynesian NFL Draft Comparison list below, check it out and feel free to comment on it. The ceiling for these players might be far and beyond the NFL comparisons I am giving them, but in thought this is put forward simply to help give you a sense of what their play style as well as overall talent is like in contrast to their fellow NFL counterparts in my general opinion. Depending on what teams these players in the 2010 NFL Draft get selected to play for, and their roles for their respected teams, these comparisons are thus subject to change. But almost certainly there is no exact science to this, its all based on relative assumptions as well as biased opinions. Regardless, I look forward to seeing any feedback, comments, or reactions to these comparisons.

2010 Polynesian 2 Polynesian NFL Draft Comparison:

Mike Iupati – Chris Kemoeatu   

Tyson Alualu – Domata Peko

Koa Misi – Kawika Mitchell

Daniel Te'o-Neshiem - Jonathan Fanene

Tony Moeaki - Itula Mili

Shawn Lauvao - Marvin Philip

Michael Hoomanawanui – Brandon Manumaleuna

Manase Tonga - Nafahu Tahi  

Martin Tevaseu - Sione Pouha   

Koa Misi, Just What The Patriots Need?

Utah's Koa Misi is 6-3, 251 lbs with a lot of upside. Playing 3 years for Utah, he has the experience that Belichick loves. With the Patriots needed a pass rush specialist, Misi could come in and play that role as a rookie. Misi was never asked to drop into coverage during college, which makes him just as much of a project as Ricky Sapp and the other second round OLB/DE prospects. While the first round players of Sergio Kindle and Brandon Graham played some OLB in college, Misi was mainly a pass rusher- which means that he wouldn't be expected to drop into coverage successfully from the get go if the Patriots selected him. He has a nose for the ball, but is more of a run chaser than run stopper as he tackles the running backs after they make it out of the back field. Misi can disrupt the QB's actions, which is what the Patriots need.

His measurements and some quotes after the jump.

WalterFootball.com Scouting

Height: 6-3. Weight: 251.
Projected 40 Time: 4.74.
Combine 40 Time: 4.69.
Vertical: 38.

CBSSports.com Scouting

03/13/2010 - TOP RATED NFL DRAFT SCOUT OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS: Koa Misi, Utah, 6-3, 251, 2: He is a pick-your-poison type of athlete who is powerful enough to take on and shed a blocker on the spot and fast enough to run around you and chase down his victim. Put that together with excellent instincts, a high-rev motor and team-leader type personality, and this prospect should fit well on somebody's roster. A standout in his one year at Santa Rosa (Calif.) Junior College, Misi then moved on to terrorize opponents for three more years with the Utes. Misi impressed scouts at the Senior Bowl with his overall ability. - Frank Cooney, The Sports Xchange, NFLDraftScout.com/CBS Sports/USA TODAY

NFL.com Scouting

Misi has good size and strength for the linebacker position. He has played both with his hand in the dirt as well as in a stand up position. He is a tough, hard-nosed competitor that will fit best as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. Misi will need some work reading route progressions and will be a liability in pure man coverage. Wright is an aggressive defender that attacks the line of scrimmage to disrupt the run as well as rush the passer effectively. Misi is a good football player that will take some time to transition into the linebacker position, but should contribute on special teams as well as a backup as a rookie.

Strengths

Misi has the look, size and strength of an outside linebacker in a 3-4. Displays the toughness needed to hold the point of attack. Is a productive, smart player who always finds ways to contribute. Has the versatility to stand up or play with his hand down. No questions about his durability. 

Weaknesses

Only possesses average coverage skills and has limited experience in this area. Is more comfortable playing in a crowd, lacks some agility in space and grasps for air on occasion. Can struggle containing shifty backs on the perimeter. Is an inconsistent reactor, especially when reading in coverage.

MockingtheDraft.com Scouting

Pass coverage: Misi showed during Senior Bowl practices that he has the hip fluidity to turn and run with tight ends. Whether he can translate that into actual gameplay is an unknown. He rarely was used in coverage as an end for Utah. But when he did drop back, he got decent depth.

Pass rush: Is a disruptive pass rusher, even though his numbers may not indicate it. Finished a three-year career with 26 tackles for a loss and 11 sacks. But Misi does a good job of hustling and getting his hands into passing lanes.

Versatility: Misi largely played end for Utah, but he did play out of a two-point stance on occasion. He projects as a 3-4 linebacker because he doesn't have great size and may get neutralized by offensive linemen who don't let players get under their pads. Should be an asset on special teams.

Verdict: Misi isn't as polished of an outside linebacker as Sergio Kindle or Graham, but it upside makes him just as interesting of a prospect. I would say that Misi has the same ceiling as Kindle, with a lower ceiling than Graham. However, selecting a DE/OLB in the 2nd round would be a project regardless of who we selected- except for potentially Eric Norwood. Are we willing to take on a project in the 2nd round? It's a big risk. While I think we'll be taking an OLB in the 2nd round, I think we'll either take a player who is either more polished (Norwood), or one with greater potential (Sapp).

Full Article

Ex-Montgomery Star Koa Misi Suddenly On NFL Radar

The clock is ticking down now for Koa Misi, only hours away until he is poked and prodded, measured and weighed, inspected to the point that if a NFL team were to ask him to open his mouth to check for cavities, no one would think twice.

It's the 2010 NFL Combine, pro football's version of a beauty contest, where every prospect wants to appear attractive, even down to a big, white toothy smile.

"I'm good to go," said Misi, who starred at Montgomery, then later for SRJC and Utah. "I'm so ready to go."

Misi will leave Friday for the Combine in Indianapolis, a news event in and of itself. It was just five years ago that Misi didn't play football for a year. He wearied of the college recruiting process coming out of Montgomery. He took a break. The NFL, of course, likes its players obsessed, zealots preferably, and it doesn't take lightly or forgets for that matter a premium talent taking a year off from the sport.

"It's probably because I took a year off," Misi said, as to why until very recently he wasn't even on anyone's draft list. "Maybe that's it."

But if a player has talent, the NFL will find him. The league will let bygones be bygones if he possesses the necessary size, speed, power, agility and instincts.

It will nod most favorably that Misi, 6-foot-3, 244 pounds, has been training nine hours a day, six days a week since Jan. 4 at Athletes Performance Institute in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, one of three such facilities in the U.S. that specializes in the care, feeding and tutoring of professional athletes.

"I've been working out with a lot of prospects down here," Misi said. "A tight end for USC, a defensive end from Washington, a guard from Georgia, a defensive back from Fresno State and a defensive end from Stanford (Eric Long)."

That's the kind of fixated commitment that impresses NFL teams -- and makes them forgive and forget that year off. Intensity, of course, matters little without the skills, and Misi opened a lot of eyes with a stellar Senior Bowl performance in January.

Misi sacked Tim Tebow, Florida's Heisman Trophy winner, playing most of the game as an outside linebacker.

"I thought I did pretty well," Misi said. "I was pretty happy with what I did."

Misi, 23, rarely has been one to march in a one-man parade, sounding off to whomever would listen. Enter Kenny Zuckerman, his agent, who is more than willing to pick up the slack.

"Koa has gone from a player who wasn't even rated to someone who is draftable," Zuckerman said. "With the 3-4 defense so prevalent now in the NFL, the hardest position to fill is the outside linebacker. That guy has to be a special player. He has to be fast enough and quick enough to cover tight ends and running backs coming out of the backfield. But he is also has to be big enough and strong enough to handle those offensive linemen and rush the passer.

"Koa is that guy. He has that ability to coil like a snake and strike. Koa reminds me a lot of a guy I represented last year, David Veikune (Hawaii) who went in the second round. And Koa is even more athletic than David."

Zuckerman is Misi's agent and should talk like that. But Zuckerman is not straying too far from conventional wisdom surrounding Misi. On

NFLDraftScout.com, Misi is referred to thusly: "Very good football instincts . . . explosive coming off the edge . . . punches lineman coming out to block . . . gets through trash to find the ball . . . very fluid in his drops . . . turns hips and gets deep quickly . . . good ball awareness . . . excellent tackler . . . will be force on special teams . . . plays through the whistle . . . high character player praised by his coaches for work ethic."

"Because there are a lot of juniors coming out this year, Koa will be drafted in the second round," Zuckerman said. "But if this was last year, Koa would be taken in the first round. He's that strong of a player."

Zuckerman is so convinced that Misi has a NFL future that he paid for Misi's entire stay at the API for the last eight weeks. Misi is doing everything to reciprocate, lowering his time in the 40 from 4.6 to 4.5, increasing his bench-press repetitions with 225 pounds from 20 to 25.

It is, however, the Combine. No contact will occur. A player make look like Tarzan but play like Jane. It always has been the knock against the Combine, too much emphasis placed on numbers, with no way to judge instincts and intensity. Misi, as evidenced on game film, has an abundance of both, now that he has settled into the position that feels like a second skin to him.

"I'm going to go back and play linebacker like I did in high school," Misi said. 

"It's what I wanted to do for a while."

Zuckerman said he thinks Misi will fall somewhere between the 50th and 60th pick in the April draft.

"His performance in the Senior Bowl really gave a lot of validity to his talent," Zuckerman said. "I haven't heard a buzz like this on a kid in a long time."

Many miles remain for Misi to make a NFL roster and then to be a contributor. But now the NFL is on Misi's horizon, not some far-off dream, like one day I'll date Jessica Biel, too. Misi now allows himself the momentary luxury to think of where he would like to play in the NFL, with the last team listed as of particular interest to Bay Area fans.

"It doesn't really matter to me where I play but I always wanted to play in San Diego," he said. "I wouldn't mind playing for the Steelers or the Ravens either. And San Francisco, maybe."

Full Article

Senior Bowl 2010 Recap

At senior bowl prac­tice this year the 6 foot 5, 325 pound guard pan­caked Louisiana Tech’s D’Anthony Smith dur­ing a pass rush drill.  That changed every­thing for Iupati who instantly became some­one to keep an eye on. Iupati was arguably the best offensive lineman on the field throughout the week. Whether working outside at tackle or inside at guard, Iupati was dominant. He now appears to be a lock to go inside the first 20 picks. He is fast, strong, and smart.  A great com­bi­na­tion for a man try­ing to make his mark in one of the most impor­tant posi­tions in football.

Seems as though Koa Misi, a defensive end moving to linebacker, has impressed throughout the week including the weigh-in.
Misi who was listed at 6' 2", 263 came in an inch taller and twenty pounds lighter. He was fluid in coverage and in drills all week. And the Senior Bowl he continued his excellent performance, and was one of the standout players. Misi is projected as a second to third round pick, but after his performance, I wouldn't be shocked to see a team grab him high in the 2nd round.

NFL scouts and personnel are getting to see it for themselves just how good Tyson Alualu the defensive end / defensive tackle for Cal really is. Alualu may have increased his stock too. Several times during the telecast, NFL Network's draft guru Mike Mayock mentioned big-motored defensive end as a player he'd want on his team. "Well, you know, he's multi-dimensional, he could play tackle, he can play end," said Schwartz before interrupting himself to talk about a fumble the North Team had just recovered for a touchdown. "Well anyway, number one, he is a hard-working kid. He's tough. He had probably the best work week of anybody we have. Great motor, great kid, played inside and outside. I think he really helped himself this week down here at the Senior Bowl." Throughout the week, reports continued to talk of the 'terror' that Alualu was causing against offensive linemen on the practice field, and Saturday he showed he could translate that terror to the playing field. Besides providing pressure on nearly every play he was on the field, he created some havoc with a sack, a fumble forced, and a fumble recovered.

Illinois tight end Michael Hoomanawanui also is looking good during practices. He was recognized as one of the North team's stars on Tuesday. As Scouts Inc. writes: "He is a crisp, physical route-runner who does not get pushed around and catches the ball well in traffic. We'd like to see a more violent punch as a run-blocker but he showed good leg drive on Day 2 and is by far the best inline blocker among the North tight ends."

It was an underwhelming day for Shawn Lauvao, who was slow out of his stance and lacks core strength at the point of attack. He catches defenders and needs to be more aggressive because he lacks the upper-body strength to be effective. Arkansas State DL Alex Carrington absolutely ran Lauvao over on a twist during drills. Lauvao looks like a late-round pick at this point. That's an interesting take. Lauvao is probably one of the strongest guys on the field but weight room work sometimes doesn't translate to the field.

One question I kept hearing about, especially from scouts who covered the Big Ten, was: “Where is your other client, TE Tony Moeaki?” Many, including myself, were baffled why Tony was overlooked for an invite. Not taking anything away from the guys who were there, especially Ed Dickson of Oregon, who is clearly the best of the North squad, Tony is rated higher by scouts and is the full package when it comes to an every-down TE skill set. It kills me to see his name 7 or 8 down on the TE draft depth charts. He's in the top 3 for sure. Some NFL GM is going to be made to look brilliant by picking him up.