Daniel Faalele (/fɑːɑːˈleɪleɪ/ fah-ah-LAY-lay;[1] born 9 November 1999) is an Australian professional football guard for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and was selected by the Ravens in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft.
| No. 77 – Baltimore Ravens | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Guard | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | 9 November 1999 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 380 lb (172 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | IMG (Bradenton, Florida) | ||||||
| College: | Minnesota (2018–2021) | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2022 / round: 4 / pick: 110 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 3, 2024 | |||||||
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Early life
editFaalele was born on 9 November 1999 in Melbourne, Victoria, to a Samoan father and Tongan mother.[2][3] According to a 2017 USA Today article, his father was 6'4" (1.94 m) tall, weighing 290 pounds (131 kg).[4] Faalele played basketball and rugby union as a youth[5] until a member of the coaching staff of the University of Hawaiʻi football team discovered him while scouting players in Australia.[6]
After participating in a local satellite camp run by Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and garnering interest from multiple Division I programs, Faalele was recruited to play football at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.[7] After only practising and learning the sport in 2016, he was a starter on IMG's offensive line in 2017 as the team went undefeated and he was selected to play in the 2018 Under Armour All-America Game.[8] Faalele was rated a four star prospect and committed to play college football at Minnesota over offers from Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, LSU and Michigan.[9]
College career
editFaalele played in 10 games as a true freshman, starting the final eight games of the season at right tackle and was named honourable mention All-Big Ten Conference.[10] Following the season, he was listed as one of Australia's 50 Greatest Living Athletes by GQ Australia.[11] Faalele started 11 games at right tackle and was again named honorable mention All-Big Ten as a sophomore.[12] As a junior in 2020, Faalele opted out of the season due to the COVID-19 crisis. Despite projections that Faalele would enter the 2021 NFL draft, he decided to stay with Minnesota for his senior year.[13] On 28 December 2021, in his final college game, he scored his first career touchdown in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl against West Virginia, with a two-yard run up the middle.[14]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 8+1⁄8 in (2.04 m) |
384 lb (174 kg) |
35+1⁄8 in (0.89 m) |
11 in (0.28 m) |
5.60 s | 2.04 s | 3.25 s | 5.06 s | 8.47 s | 29.5 in (0.75 m) |
7 ft 10 in (2.39 m) |
24 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[15][16][17] | ||||||||||||
Faalele was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round, 110th overall, of the 2022 NFL draft.[18] At 174 kilograms (384 lb), Faalele became the heaviest rostered player in the NFL.[19]
References
edit- ^ "BALTIMORE RAVENS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS" (PDF). RavesPR.com. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
- ^ Mika, Talaia (1 July 2019). "Family proud of Minnesota offensive lineman Daniel Faalele". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- ^ "IMG Academy's 'freakish' offensive lineman Daniel Faalele readying for anticipated debut". USA TODAY High School Sports. 26 June 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ "IMG Academy's 'freakish' offensive lineman Daniel Faalele readying for anticipated debut". USA TODAY High School Sports. 26 June 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ Cameron, Ian (30 April 2022). "Former rugby player becomes the heaviest athlete in the NFL". RugbyPass. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ Metcalfe, Myron (26 December 2018). "Larger-than-life Faalele making an impact at Minnesota". ESPN.com. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ Staples, Andy (6 March 2017). "Think big: 6'9", 396-pound Daniel Faalele has coaches drooling—and he's never played a down". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ Mason, Tyler (26 October 2018). "Daniel Faalele's quick rise from football rookie in Australia to the Gophers' line". The Athletic. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ VanHaaren, Tom (10 December 2017). "Daniel Faalele, at 6-8, 395 pounds, to play football for Gophers". ESPN.com. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ Dodd, Dennis (22 July 2019). "The biggest player in college football is just now learning how to dominate". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ Riley, Christopher (3 March 2019). "These Are Australia's 50 Greatest Living Athletes". GQ Australia. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ Ryan, Megan (5 December 2019). "Rashod Bateman named Big Ten Receiver of the Year; Tyler Johnson also first team". Star Tribune. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ Wald, Jeff (10 March 2021). "'Back like I never left': Daniel Fa'alele announces return to Gophers". Fox9.com. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
- ^ Wald, Jeff (28 December 2021). "Daniel Faalele scores big guy TD for Gophers at Guaranteed Rate Bowl". fox9.com. Fox News.
- ^ "Daniel Faalele Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
- ^ "Daniel Faalele, Minnesota, OT, 2022 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
- ^ "Daniel Faalele 2022 NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- ^ Brown, Clifton (30 April 2022). "Five Things to Know About Daniel Faalele". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
- ^ "Australian Daniel Faalele, 174kg, drafted by Ravens, becomes heaviest NFL player". The Guardian. Australian Associated Press. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022.