National Football League

Chargers' Tuli Tuipulotu, a second-round pick, among best rookie pass-rushers

Published Sep. 28, 2023 3:46 p.m. ET

The Los Angeles Chargers are paying Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack a combined $56 million in total compensation in 2023. However, the most effective pass-rusher for the Bolts through three games is a rookie second-round draft choice out of USC.

Yes, Tuli Tuipulotu has been a productive utility pass-rusher for the Chargers, with head coach Brandon Staley moving him all around the defensive front to help get Bosa and Mack free, developing a consistent pass rush for L.A. The 1-2 Chargers host the 1-2 Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.

With Bosa nursing a hamstring injury early in the regular season, Tuipulotu started the past two games, playing a combined 109 snaps against the Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings. Along with that, the rookie has also had a heavy workload with 65 snaps on special teams.

Tuipulotu, who just turned 21, generated 10 quarterbacks pressures (a 27% pressure rate) in L.A.'s win last week over Minnesota, the second-most pressures by a rookie in a single game in the Next Gen Stats era.

"The best player on the field defensively in this game was a rookie, and it was Tuli Tuipulotu," said Daniel Jeremiah on his "Move the Sticks" podcast. "He was awesome. He had four or five pressures. He had a sack. He could have had three or four sacks. It's one of those things where he generates the carnage, and everyone else gets to kind of clean it up.

"But he's moving around. He's been playing like gangbusters. He's a really, really good football player."

According to Pro Football Focus, Tuipulotu's 13 quarterback pressures are the most by a rookie edge rusher through three games since 2019, when San Francisco's Nick Bosa had 17 and Jacksonville's Josh Allen had 15.

"He just does a lot of things that winning edge players do," Staley said. "He can rush the passer. He is rugged in the run game. We can move him around. He has a big-time motor. You see that motor gets him to a lot of plays. He has been around the quarterback a lot this year. We're going to continue to need him to step up in that way."

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The 6-foot-3, 266-pound Tuipulotu led the nation in sacks with 13.5 for the Trojans last year. He declined to run the 40-yard dash or do any of the other testing drills at the NFL Scouting Combine and his pro day, which didn't please NFL scouts. So there were some question marks about his athleticism and how his production would translate to the NFL.

Tuipulotu has quieted those concerns with his play so far. He throws up a "T" after every sack, representing his Tongan heritage, and he has an impressive family lineage in the league. Tuipulotu's cousin, former USC teammate Talanoa Hufanga, is a Pro Bowl safety for San Francisco. Tuli's older brother, Marlon Tuipulotu, plays defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles.

"He's a playmaker as far as his instincts, his physicality and versatility are concerned," an NFL talent evaluator told FOX Sports. "[In college] he played all up and down the line, and linebacker, so I'm really intrigued by his versatility for the Chargers. I think the Chargers still need to have more nastiness on the defensive side of the ball. And it's not that Tuipulotu is in any way a dirty player, but he is physical and he is combative. So I think that helps."

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Through three games, Tuipulotu leads the Chargers with 13 pressures and his two sacks rank second on the team behind Bosa's three. It's Tuipulotu's power and relentless effort in pursuing the quarterback that make him an effective pass-rusher and a productive finisher.

Eleven other edge rushers were taken before Tuipulotu in the 2023 draft, including seven in the first round, but none has been more productive than the USC product.

"I love Tuli," Joey Bosa told reporters. "I think he does everything right, everything you can ask for from a rookie and more. Everything you can ask for out of any player, honestly. He's just great. He's in his book. He knows everything. … You can plug him into any position and he's going to do his job."

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.