Why Hercules Mata'afa is going to make the 53-man roster

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@JimmyinSD said:
I see a traditional mike LB role.  Reads well reacts faster and looks like he could play sideline to sideline.  Also looks like he could fill BRobs 3rd down role where he stands up and rushes the passer or drops to fill a passing lane.  It will be interesting to see if he can stand up and play off the line or if he is strictly a hand I the dirt guy who feasted on being quicker than most college olineman.

His physical size would seem to make him a linebacker but it's an entirely new position for him.   I'm thinking practice squad.

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@Purplewhizz said:

@JimmyinSD said:
I see a traditional mike LB role.  Reads well reacts faster and looks like he could play sideline to sideline.  Also looks like he could fill BRobs 3rd down role where he stands up and rushes the passer or drops to fill a passing lane.  It will be interesting to see if he can stand up and play off the line or if he is strictly a hand I the dirt guy who feasted on being quicker than most college olineman.

His physical size would seem to make him a linebacker but it's an entirely new position for him.   I'm thinking practice squad.

well yes,  its unlikely that he would take on a completely new role and be able to jump right in at the pro level.

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His WSU coach seems to think his best NFL position would be as a DT, but there's no way he would hold up there on 1st and 2nd down.

I think his best shot right now is as a short, sub-package edge rusher, like John Randle was when he came into the league. Linebacker would be a stretch. Sure he's got prototypical MLB size, but that's a bit like turning a pro wrestler or german league receiver into an NFL player. What's more, you'd be rendering irrelevant his best thing, his first step.

Maybe long term if he can put on 25 lbs and move inside like Randle.

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PFF's 10 UDFAs we expect to make an impact in 2018BY AUSTIN GAYLE • MAY 1, 2018Mar 4, 2018; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Washington State Cougars defensive lineman Hercules Mata'afa goes through work out drills during the 2018 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY SportsEdge Hercules Mata’afa, Minnesota Vikings | PFF Big Board Rank: No. 63
The root of former Washington State Hercules Mata’afa’s fall out of all seven rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft lies in his size, or lack thereof, and his inexperience at the position he’ll likely play in the NFL: edge defender. The 6-foot-2, 254-pound former Cougar played 1,399 (84.1 percent) of his defensive snaps either head up or inside of the tackles in his collegiate career, making him one of college football’s smallest interior defensive linemen for the past three seasons. Conversely, he played just 247 (14.8 percent) defensive snaps outside of the tackles.
Mata’afa’s relentless motor and burst off the snap, however, allowed him to have significant success beating bigger offensive linemen at the FBS level. A product of outstanding bend and athleticism, he earned 80.9-plus overall grades in each of his three collegiate seasons, finishing his final year with the Cougars with a career-high 87.3 overall grade.
Mata’afa’s motor has shown that there is no question Mata’afa will work his tail off to solidify himself as part of the Minnesota Vikings’ roster this season, and if head coach Mike Zimmer & Co. reward him for his efforts, they’ll have a high-upside project in their trenches.

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@MaroonBells said:
His WSU coach seems to think his best NFL position would be as a DT, but there's no way he would hold up there on 1st and 2nd down.

I think his best shot right now is as a short, sub-package edge rusher, like John Randle was when he came into the league. Linebacker would be a stretch. Sure he's got prototypical MLB size, but that's a bit like turning a pro wrestler or german league receiver into an NFL player. What's more, you'd be rendering irrelevant his best thing, his first step.

Maybe long term if he can put on 25 lbs and move inside like Randle.

And this, IMO, is his major problem. His WSU coach knows him better than any of the Vikings' coaches do.  He thinks Hercules is a DT.  But the Vikings' coaches know better than the WSU coach what it takes to play DT in the NFL. They think he is a linebacker.
Hercules looks like he wins with his first step. He gets into an O lineman before the OL is ready for him.  This seems to be his special talent. It is so effective that it looks at times like they are not trying to block him.  But this may only work when he is lined up a foot away from the O line. Move him off the line and you may have taken away what makes him special.
He just may not have a position in the NFL.  Hence he goes undrafted.
I hope I am way off on him. I hope he proves me wrong.

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You know who this sounds like?

John Randle:

Randle didn't get drafted at all, but only because nobody knew where he could play. He was 6-foot-1 7/8, 246 pounds; the best 40-yard dash time he had was 4.88 seconds. His brother, Ervin, played in the league as a linebacker for eight seasons.
Teams tried John out as a linebacker, too, but he didn't have the ability to drop into space or play in coverage.
He's not a butterball, but he's not a racehorse. He's undersized. He's a one-gap penetrator. Plays with great leverage. Rolls his hips. Has no fear. Loves collisions. Never took a play off. He is very explosive out of his stance.

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@twgerber said:
You know who this sounds like?

John Randle:

Randle didn't get drafted at all, but only because nobody knew where he could play. He was 6-foot-1 7/8, 246 pounds; the best 40-yard dash time he had was 4.88 seconds. His brother, Ervin, played in the league as a linebacker for eight seasons.
Teams tried John out as a linebacker, too, but he didn't have the ability to drop into space or play in coverage.
He's not a butterball, but he's not a racehorse. He's undersized. He's a one-gap penetrator. Plays with great leverage. Rolls his hips. Has no fear. Loves collisions. Never took a play off. He is very explosive out of his stance.

Some guys create the mold....some guys fit the mold,  but the great ones break the mold.

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I wonder how many undersized D-linemen have thought they were going to be the next John Randle. Probably quite a few. That guy was unique.
Still remember Trent Dilfer (was it really him?) trying to beat him up. And Dilfer, a quarterback, got called for a personal foul for roughing up a DT! He just messed with opponents' minds. There is nobody else like him.

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@dadevike said:

@MaroonBells said:
His WSU coach seems to think his best NFL position would be as a DT, but there's no way he would hold up there on 1st and 2nd down.

I think his best shot right now is as a short, sub-package edge rusher, like John Randle was when he came into the league. Linebacker would be a stretch. Sure he's got prototypical MLB size, but that's a bit like turning a pro wrestler or german league receiver into an NFL player. What's more, you'd be rendering irrelevant his best thing, his first step.

Maybe long term if he can put on 25 lbs and move inside like Randle.

And this, IMO, is his major problem. His WSU coach knows him better than any of the Vikings' coaches do.  He thinks Hercules is a DT.  But the Vikings' coaches know better than the WSU coach what it takes to play DT in the NFL. They think he is a linebacker.
Hercules looks like he wins with his first step. He gets into an O lineman before the OL is ready for him.  This seems to be his special talent. It is so effective that it looks at times like they are not trying to block him.  But this may only work when he is lined up a foot away from the O line. Move him off the line and you may have taken away what makes him special.
He just may not have a position in the NFL.  Hence he goes undrafted.
I hope I am way off on him. I hope he proves me wrong.

Yeah, in Spielman's interview he said they'd start him at SAM or MIKE. Not sure of the wisdom in that. Guy's thing is getting off the ball and into gaps before offensive linemen have a chance to get out of their stance. Put him at linebacker where the worst thing you can do is move at the snap. We'll see I guess. 

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It'll be interesting to see what he ends up at.  I think he could possibly play at his current weight at MLB or DE.  There aren't many guys playing DT under 280 lbs and even Randle played above 280 as his listed playing weight (not sure how long it took him to get there).  Robison plays a decent amount of DT at 260.  I think the best course of action would be to leave him at DT, redshirt him for the year and try to get him to bump up his weight.