Rookie camp in the NFL is often when newcomers begin a position change.
Cornerback to safety, running back to fullback, defensive end to defensive tackle.
For Hercules Mata’afa, he’s making a switch that’s not seen too frequently: defensive tackle to strongside linebacker.
“I think I’m a versatile player, and I think I could help in a lot of different packages right now,” said Mata’afa, the undrafted free agent out of Washington State.
At 6-foot-2, 250 pounds, the Hawaii native Mata’afa profiles size-wise as a linebacker, yet he turned out to be one of the nation’s most effective inside pass rushers in college, tallying 45.5 tackles for loss, 21 sacks and three forced fumbles in just three seasons.
Within this year’s draft class, Mata’afa had a top-10 run-stop percentage, according to Pro Football Focus, and notched the most sacks (10) of any interior defender entering the draft.
“He led the NCAA in negative plays the last two years,” said Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, who was the defensive coordinator at Washington State from 1989-93.
“Those Cougars, they’re pretty tough,” he added.
Despite his incredible college production, Mata’afa’s size and impending position switch deterred teams from selecting him.
Even in high school at Lahainaluna, Mata’afa played as a stand-up pass rusher on the defensive line.
The former Pac-12 standout excelled by beating slower offensive linemen in high school and college. Now he’ll be forced to cope with some of the best athletes on the field in coverage.
“He’s looking at running backs now and receivers, where before he was looking at guards,” said Zimmer.
‘I was the biggest’
Mata’afa’s distinctive first name is no gimmick. He was born “Hercules” on Sept. 18, 1995, the fifth of seven children.
“It was between Hercules or Anthony,” he said. “I came out being the biggest baby in the family. My family’s got seven kids, so I was the biggest. I weighed about nine pounds, and I was able to support my neck as soon as I came out of the womb.”
As a two-star defensive end recruit out of high school, Mata’afa committed to Washington State, where he redshirted his first season.
Three years later, he was taking home Associated Press First-Team All-American honors, not to mention the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year, winning the award over first-round pick Vita Vea from rival Washington.
During his redshirt junior season, Mata’afa was only held without a tackle for loss in just one game. He had multiple tackles for loss in eight games, and in a win against Utah he delivered a season-high eight tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble.
“Hercules Mata’afa is probably the best in the league,” opposing coach Kyle Whittingham said after the game.
Mata’afa’s emergence as an inside pass-rushing threat defies logic, but it adds a layer of mystique to his chiseled exterior.
What makes this guy tick?
“I was athletic and strong enough to play wherever,” said Mata’afa. I think I could’ve played anywhere along the front seven, but I think we were low on D-tackles, so that’s where they plugged me in.”
The learning curve
Mata’afa should have a fair shot at cracking the Vikings’ 53-man roster if he proves he can make a smooth transition.
Beyond starters Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks and Ben Gedeon, Minnesota has little established depth at the linebacker position. Second-year UDFA Eric Wilson, rookie UDFA Garret Dooley and seventh-round pick Devante Downs will be vying for spots, while special teams ace Kentrell Brothers is suspended for the season’s first four games.
The 22-year-old will first learn the ‘SAM’ linebacker position. Over time, Mata’afa said, defensive coordinator George Edwards may start working him in as an edge rusher.
Mata’afa wouldn’t be the first player to ever pull off a D-line-to-linebacker switch. Tedy Bruschi won the Morris Trophy at Arizona as the top defensive lineman in the Pac-12 before turning into a Pro Bowl linebacker with the New England Patriots.
Before the Super Bowl era, Bill George of the Chicago Bears became the league’s first middle linebacker after he decided to start playing behind the then-traditional five-man defensive line.
So, yeah, it’s been done. But it’s not the most orthodox change.
“[I’m] calling plays from the back now,” said Mata’afa. “I used to be getting plays in the front, so it’s just a switch, something I need to get used to. I don’t think it’ll be a problem to learn.
“He’s really good,” said Downs, his new teammate. “[He’s] learning a new position, picking it up fast.”
