Daniel Faalele

Australian gridiron football player (born 1999)

American football player

Daniel Faalele

No. 77 – Baltimore Ravens

Position:

Offensive tackle

Personal information

Born:

(1999-11-09) 9 November 1999 (age 24)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Height:

6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)

Weight:

380 lb (172 kg)

Career information

High school:

IMG Academy
(Bradenton, Florida)

College:

Minnesota (2018–2021)

NFL draft:

2022 / Round: 4 / Pick: 110

Career history

Baltimore Ravens (2022–present)

Roster status:

Active

Career highlights and awards

First-team All-Big Ten (2021)

Career NFL statistics as of 2023

Games played:	32
Games started:	1

Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Daniel Faalele (/fɑːɑːˈleɪleɪ/ fah-ah-LAY-lay;^[1] born 9 November 1999) is an Australian professional American football offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Minnesota.

Early years

Faalele was born on 9 November 1999 in Melbourne, Victoria, to a Samoan father and Tongan mother.^[2]^[3] According to a 2017 USA Today article, his father was 6'4" (1.94 m) tall, weighing 290 pounds (131 kg).^[4] Faalele played basketball and rugby union as a youth^[5] until a member of the coaching staff of the University of Hawaiʻi football team discovered him while scouting players in Australia.^[6]

After participating in a local satellite camp run by Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and garnering interest from multiple Division I programs, Faalele was recruited to play football at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.^[7] After only practising and learning the sport in 2016, he was a starter on IMG's offensive line in 2017 as the team went undefeated and he was selected to play in the 2018 Under Armour All-America Game.^[8] Faalele was rated a four star prospect and committed to play college football at Minnesota over offers from Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, LSU and Michigan.^[9]

College career

Faalele played in 10 games as a true freshman, starting the final eight games of the season at right tackle and was named honourable mention All-Big Ten Conference.^[10] Following the season, he was listed as one of Australia's 50 Greatest Living Athletes by GQ Australia.^[11] Faalele started 11 games at right tackle and was again named honorable mention All-Big Ten as a sophomore.^[12] As a junior in 2020, Faalele opted out of the season due to the COVID-19 crisis. Despite projections that Faalele would enter the 2021 NFL Draft, he decided to stay with Minnesota for his senior year.^[13] On 28 December 2021, in his final college game, he scored his first career touchdown in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl against West Virginia, with a two-yard run up the middle.^[14]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
6 ft 8+1⁄8 in (2.04 m)	384 lb (174 kg)	35+1⁄8 in (0.89 m)	11 in (0.28 m)	5.60 s	2.04 s	3.25 s	5.06 s	8.47 s	29.5 in (0.75 m)	7 ft 10 in (2.39 m)	24 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day^[15]^[16]^[17]

Faalele was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round, 110th overall, of the 2022 NFL Draft.^[18] At 174 kilograms (384 lb), Faalele became the heaviest rostered player in the NFL.^[19]

References

^ "BALTIMORE RAVENS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS" (PDF). RavesPR.com. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
^ Mika, Talaia (1 July 2019). "Family proud of Minnesota offensive lineman Daniel Faalele". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
^ "IMG Academy's 'freakish' offensive lineman Daniel Faalele readying for anticipated debut". USA TODAY High School Sports. 26 June 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
^ "IMG Academy's 'freakish' offensive lineman Daniel Faalele readying for anticipated debut". USA TODAY High School Sports. 26 June 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
^ Cameron, Ian (30 April 2022). "Former rugby player becomes the heaviest athlete in the NFL". RugbyPass. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
^ Metcalfe, Myron (26 December 2018). "Larger-than-life Faalele making an impact at Minnesota". ESPN.com. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
^ Staples, Andy (6 March 2017). "Think big: 6'9", 396-pound Daniel Faalele has coaches drooling—and he's never played a down". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
^ Mason, Tyler (26 October 2018). "Daniel Faalele's quick rise from football rookie in Australia to the Gophers' line". The Athletic. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
^ VanHaaren, Tom (10 December 2017). "Daniel Faalele, at 6-8, 395 pounds, to play football for Gophers". ESPN.com. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
^ Dodd, Dennis (22 July 2019). "The biggest player in college football is just now learning how to dominate". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
^ Riley, Christopher (3 March 2019). "These Are Australia's 50 Greatest Living Athletes". GQ Australia. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
^ Ryan, Megan (5 December 2019). "Rashod Bateman named Big Ten Receiver of the Year; Tyler Johnson also first team". Star Tribune. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
^ Wald, Jeff (10 March 2021). "'Back like I never left': Daniel Fa'alele announces return to Gophers". Fox9.com. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
^ Wald, Jeff (28 December 2021). "Daniel Faalele scores big guy TD for Gophers at Guaranteed Rate Bowl". fox9.com. Fox News.
^ "Daniel Faalele Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
^ "Daniel Faalele, Minnesota, OT, 2022 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
^ "Daniel Faalele 2022 NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
^ Brown, Clifton (30 April 2022). "Five Things to Know About Daniel Faalele". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
^ "Australian Daniel Faalele, 174kg, drafted by Ravens, becomes heaviest NFL player". The Guardian. Australian Associated Press. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022.

External links

Baltimore Ravens bio
Minnesota Golden Gophers bio

Baltimore Ravens 2022 NFL draft selections

v t e Baltimore Ravens roster
Active	0 Roquan Smith 4 Zay Flowers 5 Jalyn Armour-Davis 7 Rashod Bateman 8 Lamar Jackson 9 Justin Tucker 10 Arthur Maulet 11 Jordan Stout 12 Malik Cunningham 14 Kyle Hamilton 15 Nelson Agholor 16 Tylan Wallace 17 Josh Johnson 21 Brandon Stephens 22 Derrick Henry 22 Damarion Williams 29 Ar'Darius Washington 30 Trenton Simpson 32 Marcus Williams 34 Keaton Mitchell 36 Owen Wright 39 Tre Swilling 40 Malik Harrison 42 Patrick Ricard 43 Justice Hill 44 Marlon Humphrey 45 Christian Matthew 46 Nick Moore 49 Chris Board 51 Josh Ross 53 Kyle Van Noy 58 Michael Pierce 59 Malik Hamm 62 Tashawn Manning 63 Tykeem Doss 64 Tyler Linderbaum 65 Patrick Mekari 66 Ben Cleveland 71 Malaesala Aumavae–Laulu 72 Andrew Vorhees 74 Josh Jones 77 Daniel Faalele 79 Ronnie Stanley 80 Isaiah Likely 82 Sean Ryan 85 Scotty Washington 88 Charlie Kolar 89 Mark Andrews 90 David Ojabo 91 Rayshad Nichols 92 Justin Madubuike 93 Bravvion Roy 95 Tavius Robinson 96 Broderick Washington 97 Brent Urban 98 Travis Jones 99 Odafe Oweh -- Deonte Harty -- Ka'dar Hollman -- Trayvon Mullen
Unsigned draft picks	2 Nate Wiggins -- Adisa Isaac -- Roger Rosengarten
AFC East BUF MIA NE NYJ North BAL CIN CLE PIT South HOU IND JAX TEN West DEN KC LV LAC NFC East DAL NYG PHI WAS North CHI DET GB MIN South ATL CAR NO TB West ARI LAR SF SEA