In a span of eight selections, three players with Hawaii ties were chosen on Saturday during the final day of the three-day NFL Draft.
After Tua Tagovailoa (Saint Louis) was picked No. 5 overall by the Miami Dolphins on Thursday, the Hawaii pipeline went dry. Then, former Kahuku and Utah star defensive end Bradlee Anae was picked by the Dallas Cowboys at the end of the fifth round at 179th overall. Two picks later, former Leilehua standout and Fresno State guard Netane Muti was selected by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round at 181. Then at pick 186 in the sixth round, the Los Angeles Chargers chose former Kahuku star and Navy and Notre Dame standout safety Alohi Gilman.
The 6-foot-3, 257-pound Anae excels as a pass rusher, finishing with a school-record 30 sacks, including 13 last season.
Anae, the younger brother of former Kahuku and Utah volleyball star Adora, was named first team All-Pac-12 the past two seasons. In his senior season he won the Morris Trophy, awarded to the top Pac-12 defensive lineman while also being named third-team Associated Press All-American.
Anae had an outstanding Senior Bowl, where he had three sacks and five total pressures, one of which led to an interception.
At the NFL Combine in Indianapolis in February, Anae ran the 40-yard dash in 4.93, slower than anticipated. But his other measurables were solid, 25 reps at 225 pounds, a 31-inch vertical and a 4.43 in the short shuttle.
He said he was pleased with his drills, too.
“Solid day, especially in the drills, moving around good,” he said during an interview with Bucky Brooks of NFL Network.
When Brooks asked what he wanted to show the coaches at the Senior Bowl, Anae said: “They know that I can make plays and be productive, but I wanted to show them that I can do both, rush the passer and stop the run.”
Anae said during the combine that he likes to wear down opponents.
“I like to overwhelm people by just being relentless every single play, every down for all four quarters. Like imposing your will,” he said
The 6-foot-3, 315-pound Muti, who was born and raised in Tonga, is an abusing blocker at the guard position who can overpower opponents with his size and strength.
At the NFL Combine in February, Muti recorded 44 reps at 225 pounds, second-highest ever by an offensive lineman and 17 more than the average for offensive linemen at the 2019 NFL Combine.
At the combine, Muti said he was “just focused on medicals and interviews.”
Health is the major concern for Muti.
He redshirted during the 2016 season because of an Achilles injury and then ruptured an Achilles after two games in 2018. He started just three games before a Lisfranc injury sidelined him for the 2019 season.
In his only healthy season in 2017, Muti started all 14 games at left guard and was named All-Mountain West Conference honorable mention.
The 5-foot-10, 201-pound Gilman played at Navy before transferring to Notre Dame, where he sat out the 2017 season. He started all 13 games his junior year, recording 95 tackles, with two interceptions, five pass breakups and three forced fumbles. In his senior year, he had 74 tackles, one interception, three pass breakups and three forced fumbles.
He was invited to the NFL Combine in February and recorded a 40-yard dash time of 4.6. He also had 17 reps of 225 pounds and recorded a vertical jump of 32 inches.
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