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Silver And Black In His Blood: Who Is Raiders DT Jonah Laulu?

Originally posted on The Raider Ramble
By Trevis Dampier Jr. | Last updated Sep 27, 2025 1:15 PM ET

Despite being a rotational player, Jonah Laulu is among the top in sacks for 2025 so far. Even more impressive (and surprising) is that he also leads the Las Vegas Raiders in that category. He’s a hometown hero being born and raised—in fact, he’s the first Southern Nevada native to play for the team in Sin City.

“I take a lot of pride being here and playing here,” Laulu said. “Coming home is such a blessing.”

No. 96 is a rising star at defensive tackle and could develop more over time.

Becoming a star in Sin City: From the desert to paradise…

Despite playing for a mediocre high school football team, Laulu stood out among his peers. His skyscraping stature and natural size created an advantage for the 2018 senior. By the time he was about to graduate, the Centennial High alum was six-foot-five-inches and 289 pounds.

In 2018, the Centennial Bulldogs finished with one win through the season. This came in the very last matchup against Palo Verde High in a 52-30 win.

Although the team was unsuccessful, No. 8 still was recognized as a potential star. On December 12, 2017, the Southern Nevada playmaker committed to the University of Hawaii. Overall, Laulu was one of the best players in the Aloha state. As a matter of fact, he started at both tight end and defensive line during his tenure.

In 2021, he was an All-Mountain West honorable mention.

Jonah Laulu gets drafted to the NFL…

Before the 2022 college football season, the defensive tackle migrated across the ocean to Oklahoma. After entering the transfer portal, he will now compete against tougher competition. He showcased the greatest ability, availability playing in all 26 games over two years.

Although his production was low, the Oklahoma Sooner was viewed as an extremely athletic prospect. A 36-inch vertical jump at Oklahoma’s Pro Day really threaded the needle. He was a seventh-round draft pick in the 2023 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts.

????? ? » ???? ??? @Jonah_laulu is headed to Indy! #OUDNA ? @Colts pic.twitter.com/apX5c8MzGL

— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) April 27, 2024

However, the young defensive lineman never recorded a regular season stat in Indianapolis.

The hometown hero…

After his release in 2024, Las Vegas claimed Laulu off of waivers. Slowly but surely, this underrated pass rusher began to make an impact. In his first season with the Raiders, he ramped up his defensive snaps played every week.

In Week 2 he played two snaps in total, but by the end of the season he played 62 snaps in one game. Heading into 2025, Laulu is now playing a more prominent role for the Raiders. After his hot start to kick off the season, the sky is the limit for the hometown hero.

This article first appeared on The Raider Ramble and was syndicated with permission.

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