Junior Tafuna

Junior Tafuna
No. 53 – Houston Texans
Position:Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (2001-02-27) February 27, 2001
Taylorsville, Utah, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:308 lb (140 kg)
Career information
High school:Bingham (South Jordan, Utah)
College:Utah (2020–2024)
NFL draft:2025: undrafted
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards

Timote "Junior" Maile Tafuna (born February 27, 2001) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Utah Utes.

Early life and high school

Tafuna attended Bingham High School in South Jordan, Utah. He was rated as a three-star recruit and committed to play college football for the Utah Utes.[1]

College career

Tafuna did not appear in any games for the Utes in 2020.[2] In week 11 of the 2021 season, he notched a career-high nine tackles in a win over Arizona.[3] In 2021, Tafuna totaled 33 tackles with five and a half being for a loss, four and a half sacks, a fumble recovery, and a pass deflection.[4] He was named the Pac-12 Conference defensive freshman of the year and was named second-team all-Pac-12.[5] In 2022, Tafuna started all 14 games, notching 27 tackles with three and a half being for a loss, a sack, an interception, and a pass deflection, while once again being named second-team all-Pac-12.[6] In week 10 of the 2023 season, he recorded his first career forced fumble, which he also recovered against Oregon.[7] Tafuna finished the year with 17 tackles with three being for a loss, a sack and a half, two pass deflections, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.[8]

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 3+1⁄2 in
(1.92 m) 		308 lb
(140 kg) 		32+1⁄2 in
(0.83 m) 		10+1⁄2 in
(0.27 m)		 5.03 s 1.80 s 2.95 s 4.62 s 7.51 s 29.0 in
(0.74 m)		 8 ft 3 in
(2.51 m)		 24 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[9][10][11]

Tafuna was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent on May 9, 2025.[12]

References

  1. ^ McDonald, Ryan (November 6, 2018). "Bingham Miners linebacker Junior Tafuna commits to Utah Utes". Deseret News. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  2. ^ Call, Jeff (May 7, 2022). "He's the Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year. What's next for Junior Tafuna?". Deseret News. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  3. ^ Bagley, Cole (February 19, 2022). "Utes on the rise: Defensive Tackle Junior Tafuna". Utah Utes on SI. SI.com. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  4. ^ Call, Jeff (August 12, 2022). "Utah's Junior Tafuna eager to improve after being named Pac-12's top freshman defender last year". Deseret News. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  5. ^ Bagley, Cole (August 12, 2022). "Junior Tafuna is maintaining an 'underdog' mentality as he begins his 2022 campaign for Mayor of Sack Lake City". Utah Utes on SI. SI.com. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  6. ^ "60 in 60: #13 Utah's Junior Tafuna (Defensive Tackle)". KSL Sports. August 16, 2023. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  7. ^ Holt, Chandler (October 28, 2023). "Junior Tafuna Forces Turnover By Taking Ball From Oregon RB Bucky Irving". KSL Sports. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  8. ^ "Junior Tafuna 2023 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  9. ^ "Junior Tafuna Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  10. ^ "Junior Tafuna College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  11. ^ "Big 12 Pro Day Performance Tracker". MKTG.Zebra.com. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  12. ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (5-9-2025)". HoustonTexans.com. May 9, 2025.
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