[2023 NFL Draft/5-167] Henry To'oTo'o, LB, Alabama

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6. HENRY TO’OTO’O | Alabama 6010 | 227 lbs. | 4SR Sacramento, Calif. (De La Salle) 1/5/2001 (age 22.31)

BACKGROUND: Henry To’oTo’o (TOE-oh-TOE-oh), who is the second-oldest of eight children, is of Samoan and Tongan descent and grew up in south Sacramento (also spent two years in Utah). His father (Iese), who played linebacker in high school and had an offer from San Diego State before off-field trouble, started training Henry and his brothers at a young age and used football as a way to keep them away from gang-related trouble. To’oTo’o attended Burbank High School in Sacramento as a freshman before his family moved to the Bay Area so he could attend De La Salle High School, a private Catholic school east of Oakland. He originally started on the JV squad as a sophomore before he was called up to varsity, where he was teammates with Isaiah Foskey and his older brother (Sos). To’oTo’o played both ways as a linebacker and running back in his three seasons on varsity. As a senior captain, he finished with 76 tackles, 17.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks, adding 489 rushing yards (8.9 yards per carry average) and three touchdowns on offense. To’oTo’o led De La Salle to a 12-1 record with its lone loss coming in the state championship game against Mater Dei (he played the game with a broken left foot that he suffered in practice). He won numerous All-American awards and was named the 2018 Defensive Player of the Year in California (Kayvon Thibodeaux won the award the year prior).

A four-star recruit, To’oTo’o was the No. 3 outside linebacker in the 2019 recruiting class (No. 44 recruit nationally) and the No. 7 recruit in California (second-highest ranked defender behind Thibodeaux). He received dozens of offers throughout his junior and senior years before whittling down his choice to Alabama, Tennessee or Washington. To’oTo’o was considered a strong Alabama lean, but that changed when defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi (De La Salle alum) left to join the Cleveland Browns’ coaching staff. On signing day, he committed to Tennessee partly because of his connection with head coach Jeremy Pruitt and Director of Player Development Kevin Simon (De La Salle alum). After two seasons with the Volunteers, To’oTo’o decided to enter the transfer portal in January 2021 after Pruitt’s dismissal. He chose Alabama over Ohio State and several other top programs. To’oTo’o graduated with his degree (December 2020). He accepted his invitation to the 2023 Senior Bowl.

STRENGTHS: Instinctive player and keys quickly ... excellent twitch in his lower body to trigger-and-go ... stays on his toes to quickly redirect and make open-field stops ... plays decisively and quickly accelerates, which expands his range ... veteran football sense to be in the right spot or leverage gaps with his pursuit angles ... sees through climbing blocks to navigate all the moving parts ... fearless tackler and attacks with teeth ... highly trustworthy, and teammates say he is an extension of head coach Nick Saban on the field ... raised in the Polynesian culture, and family and faith are the most important parts of his life (his father is ordained in the Church of Latter Day Saints) ... versatile experience, playing weakside backer at Tennessee before moving inside at Alabama ... started 50 games in his career, averaging 7.1 tackles per start.

WEAKNESSES: Maxed-out body type and lacks ideal length, which often shows on tape ... not a powerful tackler with average-at-best finishing strength ... needs to show better patience when settling his feet as a tackler ... guilty of too many fly-by or shoe-lace tackle attempts in space ... hasn’t been a playmaker in coverage ... needs to do a better job sniffing out pass lanes before throws are by him ... didn’t miss a game in college but cracked the fifth metatarsal on his left foot prior to his final game in high school (December 2018).

SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Alabama, To’oTo’o played MIKE linebacker in Nick Saban’s multiple scheme and was responsible for all the defensive calls. After leading Tennessee in tackles as a sophomore, he transferred to the Tide and quickly established himself as both the sparkplug and conscience of the defense, totaling 206 tackles over his two seasons in Tuscaloosa. To’oTo’o doesn’t know how to play slow and covers a ton of ground thanks to his diagnose skills and reaction quickness. He can be inconsistent as a take-on player, especially vs. climbing blocks, and he needs to improve his feel for passing lanes in zone coverage. Overall, you wish To’oTo’o were longer, bigger and stronger, but he is a right place-right time type of player because of his instinctive run fits and play range. He has the football smarts and trigger to see the field on defense as an NFL rookie.

GRADE: 3rd-4th Round (No. 99 overall)