Faalele looking to dominate at Minnesota
Daniel Faalele's size has always seemed mythological, but now it's a little less so, and that's a good thing for the Minnesota football team.
Since the Australian offensive lineman went to Minnesota in 2018, he has been associated with an otherworldly 400 pounds and a height that stretches toward 6 feet, 9 inches. During coronavirus, he said he was up to 405.
Now going into his fourth year, the right tackle has shed 25 to 30 pounds to get down to the 375-380 range. His somewhat slimmed-down size is expected to make the mountain of a man more mobile in pass protection or out in space zone blocking.
Faalele opted out of the 2020 season out of concerns on contracting COVID-19. But he's back on the field and motivated.
“I just want to be as dominant as much as possible,” Faalele said.
The NFL will be closely watching him play this fall.
Pro Football Focus didn't put Faalele in the top five offensive linemen prospects for the 2022 draft class but gave him a “wild card” label. PFF also cited his lack of experience in the game. He played only one season of football in high school, at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, in 2017.
Faalele had a overall grade of 60.4 in 10 games as a true freshman in 2018, and that assessment jumped to 72.3 in 11 games in 2019, a season cut short due to
a lower-leg injury.
Faalele was hitting his stride before the injury. Over the last six games in 2019, his grade was behind only Iowa's Tristan Wirfs and Northwestern's Rashawn Slater among Big Ten tackles. Wirfs was the 13th overall pick by Tampa Bay in the 2020 draft, and Slater went 13th overall to the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021.
“He's going to get a lot of attention, and he should,” said Gophers coach P.J. Fleck. “He's a unicorn. My daughters love unicorns. He's a unicorn. They don't come around very often, some would
think they don't even exist . ... He's got a rare size, rare strength, rare ability. Hard to find. He's only played (three) years of football. He's got a long way to go and he's got a lot of untapped potential.”
Faalele said he was able to cut 20 pounds by being consistent in eating healthier foods and making better decisions. And he's looking to slim down even more.
“I just feel way healthier and way lighter, and I feel like I will be able to move a lot better,” he said. “There isn't a downside to losing this much weight. I'm excited to put it to the test this season.”
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