2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: JT Tuimoloau

Tuimoloau only completed a handful of the key athletic tests, omitting the 40-yard dash and three-cone drill. He scored a relative athletic score of 9.34 out of 10, showing good size and length, excellent explosiveness, and adequate agility.

Background:

Coming out of high school in Sammamish, Washington, JT Tuimoloau was a five-star recruit, the #1 ranked defensive lineman, and the #2 overall recruit in his class, per 24/7 Sports. He committed to Ohio State over offers from Oregon, USC, Washington, and Alabama.

Tuimoloau entered the defensive line rotation as a true freshman before earning starting snaps as a sophomore. He has been a mainstay in Ohio State's starting lineup for the last three years. Over that span, Tuimoloau accumulated 21 sacks, 120 pressures, and 40 tackles for loss across 42 games. His stats improved yearly at Ohio State, finishing his final season with 12.5 sacks.

• 2022: First-team All-Big 10
• 2023: First-team All-Big 10
• 2024: First-team All-Big 10

Amongst 199 FBS EDGE rushers with at least 300 snaps in 2024, Tuimoloau had the 21st-best overall PFF grade, the 67th-best pass-rushing grade, and the 7th-best run defense grade. His pass rush win rate of 12.1% ranked 130th.

Strengths:

• Tuimoloau is a consistent and reliable presence on the field who wins with his size, power, and intellect.
• He is tall and long with a filled-out frame, using his length to lock out blockers early in the rep and set the edge while reading run action.
• Displays the requisite upper body strength to shed blockers against the run and good short-area burst to close space on the ball carrier. He brings a nice pop with his punch.
• His hands and feet work together efficiently, and you can see him adjusting his moves and plan of attack throughout the game. Tuimoloau is playing a chess match with offensive tackles all game long.
• Tuimoloau shows a deep pass rush toolbox. He can convert speed to power, and his arsenal includes developed bull rush, spin, swipe, and long-arm moves. His pass-rush plan might be the best in the class.
• He is an extremely intelligent and instinctive player who will raise the IQ of the entire defensive line. Tuimoloau consistently sniffs out screens and quick hitters by getting into the targeted passing lanes and adjusts his plan of attack based on offensive linemen's tendencies and stance.

"Our EDGE rushers are really smart. The best guy at it is probably JT. He can sniff out a stance immediately. So you constantly have to change where your foot is located, hand is located, and give them little things to throw them off." - Ohio State left tackle Josh Simmons

Weaknesses:

• Tuimoloau lacks the ideal speed and bend to win the outside shoulder against NFL-caliber offensive tackles. He struggles to force the issue outside and turn the corner at the top of his rush.
• While his pass rush bag is deep, it is not always effective. His swipe move is often late, and his spin move can be predictable. Power moves like his long arm and bull rush are the only ways he consistently wins as a pass rusher.
• He tends to play too tall out of his stance, allowing blockers to out-leverage him early in the rep. This could improve in the NFL, where reading RPOs is much less frequent and impactful due to differences in the hashes.
• His pass-rush counters are underwhelming after he loses the initial move due to a lack of dynamic athleticism. He will get plenty of hustle and cleanup wins in the NFL, but the amount of clean pass rush wins is questionable.
• Tuimoloau is likely a scheme-specific player for a team that wants to play an end head-up over offensive tackles.

Final Thoughts and Bears Fit for JT Tuimoloau:

Tuimoloau is a powerful, intelligent EDGE rusher who wins with size, technique, and football IQ rather than elite athleticism. He’s a well-rounded run defender with strong hands, a filled-out frame, and the ability to read plays and adjust mid-rep, often playing a cerebral game against offensive tackles.

His pass-rush arsenal is deep and well-developed, especially with power moves like the bull rush and long arm. However, he lacks the burst, bend, and speed to threaten the outside edge consistently, and his finesse moves can be inconsistent, slow, and predictable. Tuimoloau projects best in a scheme that plays him head-up over tackles, where his strength and smarts can shine.

Tuimoloau is a strong fit for the Bears, similar to his Ohio State teammate, Jack Sawyer . Dennis Allen wants a stout player who can stunt inside without losing their ability to defend the run. Someone who can spike offensive guards while still attached to offensive tackles, allowing looping defensive tackles free runs at the quarterback. They also need to be able to set a hard edge against the run while playing head-up on an offensive tackle. While he might never put up big sack totals, he will do the dirty work for an even front that allows somebody next to him to shine.

By my count, Tuimoloau checks all of those boxes, just like Sawyer did. But Tuimoloau offers better arm length to keep NFL blockers at bay, and that could be the differentiator for the Bears' decision-makers. I expect the Bears to consider him with one of their second-round selections or in a trade-down within the second round.

Pro Comp - Ceiling: Everson Griffen

Pro Comp - Most Likely: Sam Hubbard