University of Washington outside linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha is set to join the New Orleans Saints after being taken with the No. 44 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. The native Hawaiian led the country in sacks (19) and ranked second in tackles for loss (25) last season.
NFL Draft picks 2015: Hau’oli Kikaha taken by Saints in 2nd round
Hau’oli Kikaha is the newest New Orleans Saints player, going in the second round.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Following his monster 2014 campaign, Kikaha was named the fifth unanimous All-American in Washington history. He was extremely consistent, recording a sack in 13-of-14 games for the Huskies last year. Kikaha’s collegiate career got off to a slow start after he tore an ACL twice in 2011 and 2012. But he returned to start 27 games the last two seasons at Washington, and emerged as one of the most dominant pure pass rushers in college football.
Kikaha didn’t perform any testing or positional drills at the NFL Combine due to an illness, but was able to showcase his skills at Washington’s Pro Day. Concerns about his athleticism were likely validated by his lackluster results at the workout in early April. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.90 seconds, recorded a 34.5-inch vertical and a 112-inch broad jump, and also did the 20-yard short shuttle in 4.33 seconds. None of those marks would have ranked among the top 15 linebackers at the combine.
He is a natural edge rusher with an explosive first step and a powerful upper body, but is viewed by some scouts as a tweener in the NFL. Kikaha is also aggressive and relentless at the point of attack, yet scouts note that he can often get swallowed up in the run game and has trouble setting the edge consistently. Additionally, there are obvious concerns about his injury history and whether he’ll develop into more than just a pass rushing specialist.
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