Player: Jahlani Tavai, Hawaii
Pick: Round 2, 43rd overall
Ht./Wt.: 6-2, 259 pounds
Workout results: Recovering from a shoulder injury, he did not run or do drills at the Combine or his Pro day. He did some position drills at the Pro Day only.
Bio: A five-year player at Hawaii, with a red-shirt 2014 season. He had huge stats his last three seasons. In 34 games, 335 tackles, 36 of them for loss, and 14.5 sacks. He missed the last four games of 2018 because of a shoulder injury that required surgery. He was suspended for the 2018 season opener after being charged with assault for an incident at a night club.
Analyst's take -- Lance Zierlein, NFL.com: "While the level of competition wasn't always noteworthy his impact production was. Tavai offers an NFL frame, good play strength, an aggressive demeanor and almost 10 tackles per game over the last three seasons. He could be a good three-down backup who could develop into an eventual starter inside."
Mike O'Hara's take: A high-volume tackler, but the level of competition – Mountain West Conference – has to be taken into consideration.
Tim Twentyman's take: Tavai is a tackle machine. That's my biggest take here. He was a chess piece in Hawaii's defense, and averaged 10 tackles per game over the last three years. He can play all linebacker spots due to his size (6-2, 250), which makes him Matt Patricia's type of player.
Linebacker depth chart: Jarrad Davis, Devon Kennard, Christian Jones, Steve Longa (injured, missed 2018), Jalen Reeves-Maybin (missed part of 2018) returning. Garret Dooley (practice squad 2018).
Offseason addition: Tre Williams
