In the last few weeks, we’ve been going position-by-position and previewing this year’s draft class. Before we get into the reports though, it’s important that we explain how our grading scale works. As a scouting staff, we use common terminology to grade every trait that we evaluate. We use a 1-9 scale with a 1 representing a “Reject” grade and a 9 meaning a “Rare” grade for whatever trait we are evaluating. We spend a lot of time in our internal Scout School making sure that our scales are calibrated with one another, and this common scale and set of language is a key aspect to ensuring that our evaluations are consistent (that…and cross-checks).
Additionally, for each position in the book, there are positional grading scales. As opposed to grading traits, these scales apply to stacking the final grades for each prospect.
The final nose tackle scale is as follows
| GRADE | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| 9.0 – 7.0 | High-end starter. Pro Bowl level. |
| 6.9 – 6.7 | Strong starter who plays on all 3 downs. |
| 6.3 | Solid 2 down starter. Run only player. |
| 6.2 | Versatile backup with positional flexibility. |
| 6.1 – 6.0 | Developmental. Top traits but needs time. |
| 5.9 | Top backup NT. Only 1 position player. |
| 5.8 | Average backup NT. Only 1 position player. |
| 5.7 | Low-end backup NT with growable upside. |
For this preview, we will look at
Tommy Togiai NT 2 of 9 | Final Grade: 6.7
Report by Nathan Cooper
One Liner
Togiai has the overall strength, explosiveness, and disruptiveness to be a mismatch on the interior at the next level, though he’ll need to get quicker laterally and improve his balance to maximize his full ability.
Overall
Tommy Togiai is a nose tackle with both one- and two-gapping responsibilities in Ohio State’s base 4-3 defense. He played in 34 games for the Buckeyes, starting 7 of them, all of which came in 2020. He has a big frame with good size for the position. He’s a good athlete for his size and plays hard with toughness and competitiveness.
Run Game
Against the run, Togiai is strong at the POA. He fires off the ball with good explosion, strength, and 1st step length to create a new line of scrimmage. He isn't extremely quick getting laterally down the line, but he shows good strength and mobility and rarely gets pushed well off his base.
He doesn’t have outstanding range, so he’s more of a box player, though his pursuit and motor allows him to get to ballcarriers near the numbers. Against doubles, he will get pushed off his spot occasionally, but has the strength and power to hold his ground and at least create a stalemate.
When runs come his way, he’s willing to do the dirty work. He will stick his nose in and hold his ground to force cutback lanes or allow his teammates to swarm and make the play. He beats up interior offensive lineman with strong, heavy hands and overall power. He has the endurance to hold up for entire drives, putting his body on the line play after play. When he gets in on tackles, ballcarriers rarely are able to slip through his grasp and get away.
Pass Game
Togiai brings good pass rush ability from the interior defensive line position. He shows that he can use finesse moves by firing off the ball with quickness to rip through gaps to the backfield, but can also use power by using his strength to bull rush and walk blockers back into the lap of the quarterback.
In addition, he shows counter moves, such as push-pulls, and was part of a variety of stunts and games to collapse the pocket from the outside. Quick and heavy hands allow him to get a good initial punch into the chest of blockers to give him the edge early on in the play.
When stunting, he usually stands too upright and is too high at the POA, allowing blockers to easily neutralize him or knock him off balance. He’s likely not someone that needs to be accounted for, but goes on streaks where he can consistently get into the backfield and pressure the passer with the occasional sack.
Last Word
Togiai projects best as a starting nose tackle in a 4-3 scheme where he’s given both one- and two-gapping responsibilities. He also possesses the skill set to work in at 3-technique or as a 5-technique in a 3-4. On 3rd down, his explosiveness and strength will allow him to get a push from the interior against guards and centers.
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Play strength | Some balance concerns |
| Disruptive | Adequate range |
| Mismatch ability |
Critical Factors
| Category | Grade |
|---|---|
| Anchor/Play Strength | 7 |
| Mismatch | 6 |
| Body Control | 5 |
Positional Factors
| Category | Grade |
|---|---|
| Pass Rush | 6 |
| On-Ball Impact | 6 |
| Disruption | 6 |
| Range | 5 |
| Hand Use | 6 |
| FBI | 6 |
| Tackling | 6 |
| Stamina | 6 |
| Toughness | 6 |
Basic
| Tackling | Pass Rush | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | G | GS | Tackles | TFL | FF | Sacks | Hurries | Hits | KD | Pressures | Deflected |
| 2018 | 13 | 0 | 9 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2019 | 14 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 2020 | 7 | 7 | 25 | 4 | 1 | 2.5 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 19 | 2 |
| 34 | 7 | 51 | 6.5 | 1 | 2.5 | 18 | 12 | 4 | 25 | 3 |
Advanced
| Tackling | Impact | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Broken Tackles | BT% | Tackle Share | ATD+ | Pres% | Pres Share | Holds Drawn | EPA on TFL | EPA on Sacks |
| 2018 | 0 | 0% | 1% | 156 | 3% | 1% | 0 | -4.9 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 | 6% | 2% | 135 | 4% | 2% | 0 | -2.1 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 | 4% | 5% | 89 | 11% | 10% | 0 | -6.8 | -4.3 |
| 2 | 4% | 2% | 118 | 7% | 4% | 0 | -13.8 | -4.3 |
Deep Dive
| Lined Up | Pass Rush | When Run At | Total Points | Total Points Rtg | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | NT% | DT% | DE% | Sack% | True Pres% | Bnc% | Pos% | Run Def | Pass Rush | Total | Per Run | Per PR | Per Play |
| 2018 | 74% | 25% | 0% | 0.00% | 3% | 36% | 27% | 3 | 2 | 5 | 99 | 79 | 94 |
| 2019 | 63% | 36% | 1% | 0.00% | 4% | 43% | 26% | 8 | 4 | 14 | 94 | 80 | 90 |
| 2020 | 47% | 51% | 3% | 1.40% | 11% | 40% | 30% | 11 | 10 | 24 | 99 | 93 | 98 |
Sports Info Solutions (SIS) brings you the third annual edition of The SIS Football Rookie Handbook, with scouting reports and statistical breakdowns on over 300 college football players who are likely to be drafted or signed as rookie free agents in 2021 (a glossary for the below stats can be found here). The book also includes unique and informative NFL team pages, research deep-dives by the SIS R&D team, articles on key football subjects (including injuries), and the NCAA version of their flagship football statistic, Total Points.