Draft Profile: Koa Misi

NAME – Koa Misi

FULL NAME – Nawa’akoa Lisiate Foti Analeseanoa Misi.

Position – Outside linebacker/Defensive end.

College – Utah.

Status – Senior.

Size/Weight – 6-2 5/8, 251 pounds.

Important numbers – 4.75 seconds in 40-yard dash, 38-inch vertical jump, 10-foot 7-inch broad jump.

Age – 23.

Honors – First-team All-Mountain West defense ‘09 … voted team captain ‘09 … second-team All-Mountain West defense ‘08.

College career – Misi began his college career at Santa Rosa Junior College in California and was first-team all-conference. He moved on to Utah, where he became an immediate starter, and jumped back and forth between playing defensive tackle and defensive end. He missed only one game due to injury.

Stats of note – 38 games/36 starts … 206 total tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks … 8 passes broken up, forced fumbles and 3 recovered fumbles.

STRENGTHS – An explosive player on the edge of the defense, he will make to move to OLB in the NFL … has shown the strength to be able to play the run at LB … he’s a very fluid athlete and has shown the ability to drop in coverage … instinctive player, with a high football I.Q. … excellent tackler.

WEAKNESSES – Sometimes he has trouble getting off blocks by linemen … is a bull rusher off the edge and must develop some second and third pass rush moves … plays aggressively, sometimes too aggressively and he’ll over run a play.

THE RIGHT 53? – Nothing but good character issues here, as he’s a mature young man who works very hard to understand the game. Good leadership qualities as evidenced by his position as team captain in the ‘09 season.

What he said – “I love playing linebacker – I actually played linebacker in high school – and it felt good playing linebacker in the Senior Bowl. I just felt like it came naturally to me, and I can’t wait.”

End game – There’s a big upside with Misi that may take a season or two to reach. He’s a 3-4 OLB, but needs a lot more snaps at that spot to make the transition. But his combination of size, speed and quickness is hard to find.

ON THE CHIEFS LIST? – Pending other moves, he’s got to be on the Chiefs radar screen in the second or third round. He won’t last beyond that. Misi may be the perfect guy to bring in and learn behind Mike Vrabel.