The NFL released its list of 337 players selected to participate in the NFL Scouting Combine on Friday with four players from Hawaii high schools making the cut.
Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (Saint Louis), Notre Dame defensive back Alohi Gilman (Kahuku), Utah defensive end Bradlee Anae (Kahuku) and Fresno State offensive tackle Netane Muti (Leilehua) will be at the event Feb. 24-Mar. 1 in Indianapolis.
Tagovailoa, who is rehabbing a hip injury, told the NFL Network last week that he will participate in the combine in some form. “I’ll be participating in the combine, but my main goal is not to win the 40, not to win the bench press, but to win my medical,” he said. “I’m going to go over there looking to win my medical and then go in and interview with the teams.”
Last month, his agent, Leigh Steinberg, said he would attend the combine but not participate in workouts. In an interview with AL.com, Steinberg said Tagovailoa would either participate in a 40-minute throwing session at Alabama’s pro day or hold an event of his own, depending on his health.
Anae had a monster week at the Senior Bowl, which culminated in a three-sack performance that has elevated his draft stock. Mock drafts have Anae being picked anywhere from the second to fourth rounds.
Pro Football Focus has Muti ranked as the No. 1 interior offensive lineman in the draft. In its latest big board posted Jan. 20, PFF has Muti as the No. 30 overall prospect, saying “Muti is a straight-up mauler in the run game. Most offensive linemen don’t even have highlight reels, but Muti’s is almost Quenton Nelson-esque in its dominance. Oh, and that dominance has translated in pass protection, too, where he allowed 14 pressures on 697 career pass-blocking snaps.”
Anae is ranked No. 46 on the same list, “Anae had an up-and-down week at the Senior Bowl. While he was clearly limited athletically, his hands were special. That was especially true in the actual game where he looked unblockable.”
Tagovailoa is at No. 3. “The asterisk will stay next to Tagovailoa’s name until we know he’s been given a clean bill of health. However, we’ll stick with the on-field eval for Tagovailoa in the meantime, as the tape shows a true franchise QB prospect.”
Gilman also participated in the Senior Bowl and was listed as one of the five fastest players for the North team after the first day of practice.
The 2020 NFL Draft will be held April 23-25 in Las Vegas.
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