Change My Mind: Junior Tafuna is a rich man’s Greg Newman

[Ute Dub]

Fast like a LB moved to DT, Tafuna flashes to the ball in the same way Greg Newman did but has the capacity to do so while at 297 lbs vs Newman’s 260 lbs. I get a kick out of seeing DT’s with a boost of energy as they catapult to the defender, almost as if they are firing off for 1 step and then doing a standing long jump for 5+ yards on the second step to disrupt the offensive line, sack the QB, or stuff the run. Tafuna has that. Greg Newman had that. Newman wore 56 and Tafuna wore 58 which is probably what made me think of the comparison. I’m excited to see Tafuna as a non-freshman along with the other freshman who played a ton on this defense last season. 

Also of note, the DT position looks strong and deep with Vimahi, Kaufusi, 2 Pututau’s, Pepa, Tavita Fotu came back from mission and then didn’t play last year, I’m probably missing some others. If we can get another guy to step forward the way Tafuna did last year, this defense will be really fun to watch. 

[Yergensen]

Tafuna assures us of pressure from the interior of the line next year, our Aaron Donald.  Now, if we can get pressure off the edges we’ll be cooking with gas (not convinced Gabe Reid, a LB with 10 sacks in 4 years, is the solution).

[UteBacker]

I’m with you on Gabe, but I also don’t think he had the level of DL support at Stanford as he will here…

[Utesbyfive]

Van Fillinger has shown flashes of absolute dominating power. Hopefully this is his breakout year. There are others in the pipeline. I’m just not worried about it.

[Ute Dub]

Hopefully Reid can make the jump. I’m high on Jonah Ellis (Luther Ellis son). He showed he can make some plays last year. My question about Reid is whether he’ll come in at 236 lbs or 256 lbs. Current Stanford Roster shows him at 236. Mika Tafua sacks by year were: 2, 3, 3, 9.5. Tafua was able to turn it up a notch his last year.