Hercules Mata’afa is too small to be an NFL defensive tackle. But don’t bet against him as a Vikings linebacker

Hercules Mata’afa is as strong as his name suggests. He’s big, too — just not big enough to be an NFL defensive lineman.

It meant he didn’t hear his name called in the 2018 NFL Draft, and signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent.

Mata’afa proved himself as one of college football’s most disruptive defensive tackles despite being one of its smallest. At just 6’1 and 252 pounds, he was able to bully and blow past interior linemen en route to 10.5 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss at Washington State in 2017.

But if he’s going to prove himself as an NFL athlete, he’ll have to do it as a linebacker.

While Mata’afa’s resume compares favorably to almost any other pass rusher in the 2018 NFL Draft, his background as a significantly undersized lineman casts a long shadow over his potential pro career. His NFL dreams will hinge on developing from an underdog college tackle to a regular-sized NFL linebacker. Fortunately for him, it’s a position he’s handled in the past.

Mata’afa was a 225-pound outside linebacker at Hawai’i’s Lahainaluna High School when he began his football career in earnest. He wasn’t an especially well-regarded prospect — 247Sports’ composite rankings paint him as a low three-star player who barely cracked the top 1,700 recruits in 2014 — but he chose Mike Leach’s Cougars over offers from Oregon State and San Diego State. That’s where his transformation began.

A redshirt freshman year bulked him up to 242 pounds and transitioned him from a stand-up pass rusher to one on the front line. Mata’afa’s first year of college football action saw him handle duties both at defensive end and inside, where he showed off his speed and power en route to seven sacks — all against Power 5 opponents — and honorable mention All-Pac-12 status. That led to an experiment for the Cougars to see if Hercules’ strength and elite first-step quickness could hold up in the middle of the defensive line rather than at the edge.

Mata’afa was up to the task, earning second-team all-conference honors after he led his team in quarterback hurries, sacks, and tackles for loss. That set the stage for 2017’s revelation; a nine-win season in Pullman and consensus All-American status in a season where he doubled his sack output.

It also raised an important question: Can a player who was dominant in stretches at defensive tackle despite giving up 50-plus pounds to blockers every week have a similar impact against bigger, faster, stronger offensive linemen in the NFL?

It seems a given Mata’afa will be drafted as a linebacker or potential 4-3 defensive end rather than as the middle-of-the-line bulldog he’s been in college. Da’Ron Payne, one of the draft’s top-ranked tackles, clocks in at 6’2 and 308 pounds and is considered small for the position. Vita Vea, who chased down quarterbacks for Mata’afa’s rival at Washington, clocks in at 6’5 and 340.

Even Aaron Donald, one of the smallest tackles in the league, has a solid 30 pounds on the Washington State product.

One useful comparison could be another undersized Pac-12 lineman who turned into a Pro Bowl NFL linebacker: Arizona’s Tedy Bruschi.

Bruschi was a 6’1, 247-pound tackle/end with the Wildcats who racked up All-American honors but fell to the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft thanks to questions about whether he could thrive at the next level. The Patriots selected him and converted him to linebacker, where he developed into a two-time All-Pro and three-time Super Bowl winner. While Mata’afa doesn’t quite have the chops of his College Football Hall of Fame counterpart, his versatility gives him the chance to follow Bruschi’s path.

The truth is he doesn’t fit the NFL mold for one specific position, but he can fill multiple roles. He’ll be small with his hand on the ground, but his explosive first step and stout power give him the bonafides to contribute at end, especially if he can add a useful spin move to help him torch offensive tackles around the corner. His quarterback-terrorizing resume shows he’s gifted enough to hold down an RUSH linebacker role, and his 4.76 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine suggests he’s not as slow as his defensive line peers.

While picking up pass coverage is a concern — athletic tight ends would feast on the mismatch created by his presence up the seam — he’s great at shedding blocks and making stops. His top-line speed isn’t great, but his quickness and fluidity has been the foundation of a stellar collegiate career.

That background pushed him into draft consideration, but his lack of positional stability left him scattered across mocks. Pro Football Focus paints him as a top 60 prospect. NFL.com sees him as a round 5-6 pick. Gil Brandt slots him in as the draft’s No. 119 prospect, landing somewhere in the fourth round. Somehow, that leaves him the opportunity to be either a sleeper or a bust at the same time.

As an undrafted free agent, he’ll really only have a chance to be a gem.

More importantly, his experience as an undersized tackle has showcased his strength, toughness, and ability to overcome physical limitations. Further boosting his stock is the fact 2018’s draft class isn’t deep with pass rushers; a needy team may be willing to overlook his shortcomings in order to focus on his production. A utility player with a knack for getting to the quarterback is a valuable thing — especially if an enterprising defensive coordinator can carve out a niche for a player praised for his leadership.

He believes another transition won’t be a problem, even if finding an opportunity might.

“That’s the aspect of my game that I don’t think anyone else in this draft can match,” he wrote for CBS New York earlier in April. “That experience of rushing the passer from every angle and every technique. I hope people see that in me and give me that chance to prove what I can do, because that’s all I need: one chance.”

Mata’afa will have to prove himself all over again now that his transition to the pro ranks wiped the slate clean on a college productive career. Fortunately for the big, yet somehow too small Hawaiian, he’s spent the last four years proving himself — with great success.