{"id":290707,"date":"2026-07-03T14:38:46","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T18:38:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=290707"},"modified":"2026-07-03T14:38:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T18:38:46","slug":"iapani-laloulu-2027-nfl-draft-early-scouting-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/07\/03\/iapani-laloulu-2027-nfl-draft-early-scouting-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Iapani Laloulu 2027 NFL Draft Early Scouting Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Iapani Laloulu enters 2026 as a three-year starter as the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/tag\/oregon-ducks\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Oregon Ducks<\/a> center.\u00a0 He has been mentioned in early 2027 first-round mocks, as high as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/draft\/onsi\/mock-drafts\/way-too-early-2027-nfl-mock-draft-already-sparking-qb-debates\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">mid-first-round<\/a>.\u00a0 Does the tape match this projection?<\/p>\n<h2>Iapani Laloulu 2027 NFL Draft Early Scouting Report<\/h2>\n<h3>Measurables<\/h3>\n<p>Height: 6\u20192\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Weight: 325 lbs<\/p>\n<h3>The Tape<\/h3>\n<p>Games Watched: at <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/penn-state-nittany-lions\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Penn State Nittany Lions<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/big12\/texas-tech-red-raiders\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Texas Tech Red Raiders<\/a> (College Football Playoff Quarterfinals) and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/indiana-hoosiers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Indiana Hoosiers<\/a> (College Football Playoff Semifinals)<\/p>\n<h3>Strengths<\/h3>\n<p>Laloulu is clearly the communicator and leader of the Oregon offensive line.\u00a0 Pre-snap, he\u2019s always pointing out defenders, and even on tape, it\u2019s easy to see that he\u2019s trusted to set protections.\u00a0 This should really impress NFL front offices and coaches in interviews in the NFL Draft cycle.<\/p>\n<p>Laloulu is a strong man, and his initial punch is effective.\u00a0 It&#8217;s clear to see on tape that it jolts defenders and puts them on their heels.\u00a0 When asked to reach block, Laloulu has good hand placement and is able to move defenders to create big holes.<\/p>\n<p>In pass protection, Laloulu was much better in the two playoff games, showing improvement.\u00a0 He exhibited the ability to use a nice initial punch and then use his bulk to sit and anchor.\u00a0 He also showed he can mirror once he dropped his hips.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Oregon C Iapani Laloulu looked much better in pass protection late in the season.  As evidenced by this rep &#8211; nice work.<a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/NFLDraft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#NFLDraft<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3jd9l22ffR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/3jd9l22ffR<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Paul Emery (@UKDraftFan) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/UKDraftFan\/status\/2073064784195473483?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 3, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>Areas to Improve<\/h3>\n<p>Laloulu has physical limitations.\u00a0 He\u2019s listed at 6\u20192\u201d, so is likely shorter, and his true height is worth monitoring when the NFL Combine arrives.\u00a0 He also lacks long arms and doesn\u2019t appear to have huge hands, as at times he struggles to grab cloth and lock onto defenders.<\/p>\n<p>Laloulu is also not an elite athlete.\u00a0 When asked to move outside of a short area, he\u2019s not as effective.\u00a0 This may improve if he sheds weight; it\u2019s going to be crucial for his NFL team to find the right balance between bulk and movement.<\/p>\n<p>Right now, Laloulu is less effective as a run blocker.\u00a0 He ends up on the ground too much.\u00a0 Right after the snap, he ducks his head into contact, making him susceptible to swim moves.\u00a0 After initial contact, he also ducks his head and release blocks.\u00a0 His feet are too static at times, which leads to this problem, so he\u2019ll need to drive his feet better on contact.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Oregon C Iapani Laloulu meets Mr Lee Hunter in the Texas Tech game.  Hunter sheds him and gets a TFL.<a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/NFLDraft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#NFLDraft<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/S2QYa8BnhD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/S2QYa8BnhD<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Paul Emery (@UKDraftFan) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/UKDraftFan\/status\/2073063923671023634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 3, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>There are good moments with an impressive initial punch, but there are too many snaps where Laloulu doesn\u2019t use his hands well enough.\u00a0 On some outside zone runs, he doesn\u2019t work square to seal and throws out a \u201cget in the way block\u201d, often with his back to the defender.<\/p>\n<p>While there was improvement in pass protection, better athletes do still give him problems.\u00a0 His feet do look heavy.\u00a0 This was compounded (far more evident in the Penn State game) with a wide base.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s also the odd bad snap.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a massive problem, but an area to be perfected in 2026.<\/p>\n<h3>Key Tests in 2026<\/h3>\n<p>Oregon has just four preseason top-25 teams on the 2026 schedule.\u00a0 The first of those is the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/usc-trojans\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Southern California Trojans<\/a> in Los Angeles\u00a0 on September 26.<\/p>\n<p>They then have to wait until November 7 for the biggest game on the schedule, a trip to the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/ohio-state-buckeyes\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Ohio State Buckeyes<\/a>.\u00a0 This is immediately followed by hosting the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/michigan-wolverines\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Michigan Wolverines<\/a>. \u00a0The final regular season game is the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/washington-huskies\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Washington Huskies<\/a> in Eugene.<\/p>\n<p>The full schedule <a  href=\"https:\/\/fbschedules.com\/2026-oregon-football-schedule\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Iapani Laloulu 2027 NFL Draft Projection<\/h3>\n<p>While Laloulu\u2019s pass protection was good in the playoffs, there are still athletic limitations in that part of his game.<\/p>\n<p>He projects to a system that won\u2019t require him to move much.\u00a0 His power stands out in the running game, but he has much to clean up in this area of the game.<\/p>\n<p>Right now, he projects as a mid-round prospect who could be a day two pick with improvement.<\/p>\n<p><em>Main Photo Courtesy of Craig Strobeck &#8211; Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Iapani Laloulu enters 2026 as a three-year starter as the Oregon Ducks center.\u00a0 He has been mentioned in early 2027 first-round mocks, as high as the mid-first-round.\u00a0 Does the tape match this projection? Iapani Laloulu 2027 NFL Draft Early Scouting Report Measurables Height: 6\u20192\u201d Weight: 325 lbs The Tape Games Watched: at Penn State Nittany [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5857,"featured_media":290724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1647,33760],"tags":[33976,2030],"class_list":["post-290707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-draft","category-profiles","tag-iapani-laloulu","tag-nfl-draft-profiles"],"modified_by":"Drew VonScio","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5857"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=290707"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290707\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":290725,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290707\/revisions\/290725"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/290724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=290707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=290707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=290707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}