Ne'i Seumanutafa

Ne'i Seumanutafa
(New York Titans, DT)
1108
New York Defiant
Gender	Male
Species	Tiger Shark - Aloha University
Details
Height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight	342 lb (155 kg)
Hometown	Hanalei, HI, USA
College	Aloha University
Career Info
Draft	2018 / Undrafted / Pick: 18 (Round 2) - NYTth
Years Pro	R

Ne'i Seumanutafa is a rookie defensive tackle for the New York Titans.

Biography

Ne’igalomeatiga Seumanutafa is a shark of Samoan heritage born on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. Born to a family of fishermen along with five brothers and sisters, life was difficult at best in a place that most would consider to be paradise for young Ne’igalomeatiga, or “Ne’i” for those that couldn’t properly pronounce his full name. What little free time he had between school and helping out on the docks was spent surfing, which Ne’i learned at a young age and quickly became good at. But being a Samoan meant that he was a stocky boy, and at the age of 11, he joined the local youth football team in his hometown of Hanalei. As he was the largest fur on the team, he was a guard on offense and a nose tackle on defense, but he really enjoyed being on defense.

That trend continued into high school for Ne’i, where after a massive growth spurt, was 6’5” at age 15 and well over 300 lbs. Given that his full name translated to “unforgettable pain” in the Samoan tongue, he lived up to that billing as he utterly dominated every opposing line in the Kauai League, leading Hanalei High to three consecutive state playoff appearances. But the better coached and conditioned schools from Oahu would bring the shark back down to earth as he struggled to make a difference in those games. Because of that label, as well as a mean streak that made itself known at inopportune times, most of the college powers on the west coast balked at Ne’i, and it was the small Aloha University on the island of Maui who would be the only ones to offer a scholarship to Ne’i.

It was a bitter pill for him to swallow, and Ne’i took it personally. His teammates for the Aloha Warriors gave him the nickname of “Jaws”, both for his fitting ferocity as a shark, and for his love of talking trash to opponents. But his play on the field backed it up as he became a dominant force in the mid-level Pacific Rim Conference, earning first-team honors in his freshman year and making the national All-Freshman team with 53 tackles and 11½ sacks - an unheard of number for an interior lineman. As good as he was, Ne’i would get in trouble with the league after an incident against Cascadia University where he hit a quarterback after delivering the ball, then stood over him and snapped his jaws while he lay writhing in agony with a separated shoulder. He was flagged both for roughing the passer and unsportsmanlike conduct, and was suspended for the following game. Later that season, another quarterback would feel the shark’s wrath as he would drive him head-first into the turf, then stand over him after he was knocked out cold. This time, he was ejected for the hit and suspended three games, then placed on probation for the following year.

Ne’i would stay out of trouble for the most of the next season, playing in 10 of 12 games for the Warriors and racking up another 7 sacks. But the two games he missed were due to yet another suspension where he was involved in an incident with an offensive lineman. However, it was determined that Ne’i was unfairly provoked and thus was spared a much more significant layoff. The coaches, fed up with his lack of self-control and discipline, gave him an ultimatum before the start of his senior season: if he were suspended for any reason whatsoever, then he would be kicked off the team. Ne’i initially scoffed at that, saying that he would be playing in the UFFL regardless of whether he completed the season at Aloha or not. He was able to rein himself in and had a stellar season, picking up 10½ sacks and forcing 5 fumbles in leading the Warriors to having the 4th-best rushing defense in the nation, which allowed only 57.6 yards per game on the ground and only a single touchdown. More importantly, Aloha won their first PRC championship and got to play in a bowl game on the mainland, where they held their own against a much better Florida Feline squad before losing 47-23. Now primed and ready for the UFFL, Ne’i is looking to make a mark at the next level, and he does not care who stands in his way as he knows only one way: the tough way.

Evaluation

3 stars. Equally good at stuffing the run and sacking the QB. Excellent nose tackle potential. Ne’i can be a disruption on the inside of the line, though he is a better run-stuffer than pass rusher. What’s keeping me from anointing him as a Lottery pick is his on-field discipline... I’m afraid he’s gonna go in too hard or make that extra late hit and cost his team precious yards. If he can rein himself in, he could be a special lineman... though how will an islander shark handle cold weather games late in the season?

Contract Info

Player Manager	Lazarus Otter
Salary (per year)	TBD
Exp. Date	3/1/2019

Statistics

Individual

Year	Team	GS	Tackles	Tackles for Loss	Coverages	Sacks	Forced Fumbles	Recoveries
2018	NYT

Win-Loss Record

Total Record: --

2018	New York	--