Darius Muasau NFL Draft 2024: Scouting Report for New York Giants LB

— Has good instincts as a run defender. Quick to key and diagnose plays to help improve play speed.

— Knows when to pick his spots to shoot gaps.

— Can hold his own against tight ends and weaker offensive linemen against inside runs.

— Shows good eye discipline and peripheral vision in zone coverage to help locate threats.

— Has upside as a pass-rusher with quickness to win around the edges against offensive linemen along with the strength and power to bull-rush running backs. Also showed a high motor and had a few batted passes.

— On the smaller side, and had average athletic testing numbers with a 5.68 RAS out of 10.

— Has a habit of taking on blocks square and has shorter arms, which leads to him getting stuck on blocks.

— Struggles to drop the anchor and avoid getting washed by offensive linemen when moving laterally against stretch runs.

— Speed limitations do show up against outside runs.

— 13 G, 75 TOT, 10.5 TFL, 4 SK, 1 INT, 6 PD

— Began college career at Hawaii before transferring to UCLA ahead of 2022 season

Darius Muasau is an instinctual linebacker whose play speed is better than his testing numbers suggest. That’s how he makes plays as a run defender and in coverage, as he’s in the right spot more often than not. He’s also a physical player and was a productive pass-rusher for an off-ball linebacker with 16.5 career sacks in college.

However, it’s unclear how well Muasau’s game will translate to the NFL since he’s on the smaller side and posted underwhelming numbers at the combine. His lack of speed does show up against outside runs, and it could also be an issue in man coverage against faster tight ends and running backs.

The UCLA product is worth the gamble in the later rounds, though. He’ll likely have to make a name for himself on special teams to earn a roster spot, which he did some but not a lot in college.

GRADE: 5.7 (Backup/Draftable — 6th-7th Round)

PRO COMPARISON: Jalen Reeves-Maybin