Dolphins select former Saint Louis star Jonah Savaiinaea in second round
Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images
Arizona Wildcats offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea looked for a block against the Colorado Buffalos at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz., on Oct. 19, 2024.
Former Saint Louis School All-State player and Arizona offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea was selected by the Miami Dolphins early in the second round of Friday’s NFL Draft.
Savaiinaea, who is 6 feet 4 and 324 pounds, was selected 37th overall after the Dolphins traded up with the Las Vegas Raiders in order to pick the versatile lineman who played guard and tackle for the Wildcats.
At Miami he will be blocking for another former Saint Louis star, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Savaiinea had an outstanding showing at the NFL Combine, where he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.95 seconds and ran the short shuttle in 4.66, one of the fastest for offensive linemen at the combine. He also bench pressed 225 pounds 26 times during the Arizona Pro Day.
He had reported team visits with the Bengals, Bears and Vikings.
Savaiinaea, who turned 21 in January, was a Star-Advertiser All-State first team player in 2021 for the Crusaders.
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At Arizona, he started 12 games at right guard and was selected by Pro Football Focus as a first-team All-True Freshman team. The next season he played right guard and right tackle and played left tackle in 2024. He was named to the Big 12 fall academic honor roll in 2024.
Savaiinaea is the first Hawaii high school graduate drafted in this year’s draft, which will be completed with rounds four through seven on Saturday. On Thursday, Savaiinaea’s teammate — receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who was born in Waiamanalo but moved to the mainland when he was 12 — was drafted in the first round, eighth overall, by the Carolina Panthers.
