The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The Green Bay Packers haven’t selected an offensive lineman in the first round of the NFL Draft since taking Mississippi State offensive tackle Derek Sherrod with the 32nd overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.
With the Packers having a possible opening at right tackle, that streak could come to an end this spring. A player that could tempt Brian Gutekunst to take an offensive lineman in the first round is Daniel Faalele. The Minnesota Golden Gopher offensive tackle checks in at No. 37 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.
Faalele is not of this planet. He stands at 6-8 and weighs 390 pounds. He doesn’t look 390 pounds, he is svelte. The Australian native has worked hard to reshape his body. He came to Minnesota weighing 426 pounds and weighed in at the combine at 384 pounds (390 at the Gopher pro day).
“You walk into a room with this guy and you’re amazed at his size,” Daniel House, the founder of Gophers Guru, said. “I spent time around both Phil Loadholt and Bryant McKinnie and always felt like Faalele was an even larger human. You just do not see tackles with physical and athletic profiles like this. And, more importantly, he moves pretty well for a player with a 6-foot-8, 387-pound frame. You literally can’t even put a film/data player comp on him because his physical and athletic profiles are so unique.”
Faalele didn’t start playing competitive football until 2017. The Australian started 31 career games at right tackle for the Golden Gophers, where he was coached by one of the best offensive line coaches in the country (Brian Callahan).
“Gophers offensive line coach Brian Callahan deserves a lot of credit for helping Dan adjust and develop,” House said. “He maximized his unique physical/athletic traits and significantly improved his technique. Faalele was learning many new things on the fly because of his limited background in football. However, Minnesota’s coaches eased this transition and helped him grow each year. Faalele sat out the entire 2020 season during the COVID-19 pandemic but trained hard when he returned. Dan also cut some weight and seemed a touch quicker this past season. When you consider the length of time that Faalele has played football, there is still a lot of room for overall development, especially if he gets into the right system and situation.”
Faalele is ready-made as a run blocker. With his size and movement skills, Faalele can be an asset from day one in the run game. He creates surge with his power and overwhelms defenders with his size and strength at the point of attack.
Playing in Minnesota’s zone scheme, Faalele showcased how surprisingly nimble he is for a man of his size. He doesn’t labor climbing to the second level and engulfs defenders with his frame and power.
“He plays low as a blocker, moves well and can climb and seal edges in the zone scheme,” House said. “Dan also drives defenders off the ball and mauls players until the whistle hits. There were even quite a few instances where an outside zone run gained additional yardage because of his blocking on the edge. He was also effective on backside blocks and even occasionally reached players to seal the edge. Many people have asked me – does he fit in a zone scheme? Well, he played within a diverse rushing scheme in Minnesota (mostly inside/outside zone), so I think he is pretty versatile when it comes to blocking schemes.”
His combination of size, power and athleticism is a big reason why Faalele was No. 29 on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks list for the 2021 season. Gopher’s head coach, P.J. Fleck called him a Unicorn and his athleticism shows up when you watch Faalele as a run blocker.
“I don’t think he gets enough credit for his mobility and instincts in the zone scheme,” House said. “For a player with his size, there are instances where he does a really nice job of climbing, sealing edges and finding work. In fact, Minnesota’s rushers bounced quite a few runs off outside zone because of his work on the edge.”
A team drafting Faalele will have to live with the lumps in pass protection early in his career. He’s only played football for five years and his technique (hand usage, pass-set landmarks) will need refinement and coaching up.
“There are some instances where his footwork gets sloppy, he is upright and loses his balance,” House said. “Faalele had more trouble while going against rushers with lateral quickness and speed. On the other hand, power rushers occasionally countered with an inside move and he lost position due to his pass pro set or hand placement. Teams also occasionally ran stunts, which tested his pass protection set depths and lateral quickness. When this happened, he sometimes lost his balance and ended up out of position.”
He was able to overcome some of his deficiencies in pass protection at the collegiate level due to his size, length and athleticism. With his length and power, he was able to stonewall rushers.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Minnesota Mammoth gave up just one sack this past season and allowed just one pressure during the final eight games of the season.
Fit with the Packers
Faalele is an alien. Men of his size with his movement skills are not from this planet. There has never been a player with his athletic profile before.
With his rare size, strength and athleticism, Faalele has all the tools in the shed to develop into a long-term starter at right tackle.
If he were to land in Green Bay, he’d have the benefit from learning from one of the best offensive line coaches in the NFL (Adam Stenavich).
“Faalele did not start playing competitive football until 2017,” House said. “Then, about one year later, he jumped into Big Ten football. He also missed a full season during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. With that being said, I don’t think he has reached his full potential yet. Dan could take his game to another level by achieving more consistency in all of the areas that we discussed above. Ultimately, if Faalele ends up in a strong system with a good offensive line coach, I believe he can become a solid NFL right tackle.”
If Faalele were to land in Green Bay he could battle for starting reps at right tackle. If he earns the starting gig, there would be growing pains in pass protection. However, he’d be an asset as a run blocker and would help open up running lanes for Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon.
There has never been a player with Faalele’s athletic profile. He has rare traits and the kind of upside that could make him a decade-long starter at right tackle.
How soon a team rolls the dice on Faalele is the question. With Green Bay having four picks in the Top 60, there is a strong chance that Gutekunst takes a gamble on a player with the upside to match his gargantuan frame.
