NFL Draft: San José State's Soane Toia Embraces 'Junkyard Dog' Mentality, CFB Lineage

You often hear the phrase “Lineman Need Love Too.” Something you don’t usually hear, however, is a lineman saying they wished they could run the ball. When San José State hosted their Pro Day last month, defensive tackle Soane Toia uttered those exact words. “A couple of the scouts wanted to see me do a fullback spot,” explained Toia. “I’ve always wanted to run the ball - I feel like I can’t be tackled, for some reason.” It’s that kind of confidence that has helped etch Toia’s name into Spartan defensive lore. Toia earned 2024 preseason and postseason accolades, leading a unit that was the third-most efficient pass defense in the Mountain West last year. Toia finished his collegiate career with 153 tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks.  It's an impressive body of work for a player with no exposure to football prior to high school. However, Toia took to the game like a duck to water in a way that not even his San José State defensive coordinator could fully understand or explain. “He’s extremely savvy