Pita Taumoepenu

Pita Taumoepenu (born March 9, 1994) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Utah.[1] He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Pita Taumoepenu
Personal information
Born: (1994-03-09) March 9, 1994
Euless, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school:Timpview (Provo, Utah)
College:Utah
Position:Linebacker
NFL Draft:2017 / Round: 6 / Pick: 202
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
  • XFL Defensive Player of the Year (2023)
  • All-XFL Team (2023)
Career NFL statistics as of 2022
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Professional career

Coming out of Utah, Taumoepenu was ranked as the 28th best outside linebacker prospect by CBS Sports.[2] On October 4, 2016, it was announced Taumoepenu had received an invitation to play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.[3] On January 21, 2017, Taumoepenu attended the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and recorded four solo tackles and one sack as a part of Jim Zorn's American team who lost 27–7 to Mike Martz's National.[4] He was one of eight Utah players invited to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana.[5] He completed the majority of combine drills and finished second amongst all the defensive lineman in the 40-yard dash and the three-cone drill, only behind Kansas State's Jordan Willis, and finished sixth in the short shuttle.[6] On March 23, 2017, Taumoepenu attended Utah's pro day and performed the majority of combine drills. He attended a private meeting with Pittsburgh Steelers.[7] At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Taumoepenu was projected to be a seventh round pick or priority undrafted free agent. He was ranked the 29th best outside linebacker prospect by NFLDraftScout.com.[8]

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 2 in
(1.88 m)		 243 lb
(110 kg)		 32+3⁄8 in
(0.82 m)		 9+7⁄8 in
(0.25 m)		4.67 s1.64 s2.73 s4.33 s6.91 s28+1⁄2 in
(0.72 m)		9 ft 4 in
(2.84 m)		24 reps
All values from NFL Combine[9]

San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers selected Taumoepenu in the sixth round (202nd overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft.[10][11] The 49ers previously acquired the pick used to select Taumoepenu in a trade with the Denver Broncos in a trade that sent Vernon Davis to the Denver Broncos. On May 4, 2017, the 49ers signed him to a four-year, $2.54 million contract that included a signing bonus of $145,444.[12]

Throughout training camp, he competed for a roster spot against Brock Coyle, Eli Harold, Ray-Ray Armstrong, Dekoda Watson, and Jimmie Gilbert. Head coach Kyle Shanahan named him the third strongside linebacker to begin the season, behind Eli Harold and Dekoda Watson.[13] On September 1, 2018, Taumoepenu was waived by the 49ers and was signed to the practice squad the next day.[14][15] On December 5, 2018, Taumoepenu was promoted to the active roster.[16] On May 28, 2019, Taumoepenu was waived by the 49ers.[17]

Arizona Cardinals

On May 29, 2019, Taumoepenu was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Cardinals.[18] He was waived/injured during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019,[19] and reverted to the team's injured reserve list the next day. He was waived from injured reserve with an injury settlement on September 10, 2019.

Seattle Seahawks

On November 20, 2019, Taumoepenu was signed to the Seattle Seahawks practice squad.[20] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Seahawks on January 14, 2020.[21] He was waived on May 4, 2020, but rejoined the team on August 30, 2020.[22][23] He was waived again four days later.[24]

Atlanta Falcons

On October 20, 2020, Taumoepenu was signed to the Atlanta Falcons practice squad.[25] He was elevated to the active roster on November 7 for the team's week 9 game against the Denver Broncos, and reverted to the practice squad after the game.[26] His practice squad contract with the team expired after the season on January 11, 2021.[27]

Denver Broncos

On May 17, 2021, Taumoepenu signed with the Denver Broncos.[28] He was released on August 23, 2021.[29] He re-signed with their practice squad on September 22, 2021.[30] He was released on January 5, 2022.

Vegas Vipers

Taumoepenu was drafted by the Vegas Vipers in the 2023 XFL Draft.[31] On May 4, 2023, Taumoepenu was named the inaugural XFL Defensive Player of the Year.[32] He was released from his contract on August 7, 2023.[33]

New York Jets

On August 8, 2023, Taumoepenu signed with the New York Jets.[34] He was released on August 28, 2023.[35]

NFL statistics
Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GPGSCombSoloAstSckPDIntYdsAvgLngTDsFFFR
2017SF 200000.000000000
2018SF 403300.000000000
2019ARI 000000.000000000
2020ATL 102200.000000000
Career70550000000000
Source:

References
  1. "49ers select DE Pita Taumoepenu in sixth round of the 2017 NFL Draft". NBC Sports. April 29, 2017.
  2. Brandon Judd (January 19, 2017). "12 players with Utah ties set to make impressions in college football all-star games". desertnews.com. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  3. "35 Collegiate Bowl Players Invited to 2017 NFL Combine". Collegiate.NFLPA.com. October 4, 2016. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  4. "2017 Collegiate Bowl Box Score". collegiate.NFLPA.com. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  5. "Eight Utes Invited to 2017 NFL Scouting Combine". utahutes.com. February 26, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  6. Alex Kirshner (March 6, 2017). "NFL Combine results 2017: Full defensive linemen numbers". SBNation.com. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  7. Jeff Hartman (April 19, 2017). "Trio of defenders visit Steelers in latest round of pre-draft visits". behindthesteelcurtain.com. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  8. "Pita Taumoepenu, DS #29 OLB, Utah". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  9. "NFL Draft Profile: Pita Taumoepenu". NFL.com. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  10. Fann, Joe (April 29, 2017). "San Francisco 49ers Draft Utah DL Pita Taumoepenu". 49ers.com. Archived from the original on December 28, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  11. "2017 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  12. "Spotrac.com: Pita Taumoepenu contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  13. "Ourlads.com: San Francisco 49ers depth chart: 10/01/2017". Ourlads.com. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  14. "49ers Cut 21 Players, Get Roster Down to 53". 49ers.com. September 1, 2018.
  15. "49ers Sign 9 Players to the Practice Squad". 49ers.com. September 2, 2018.
  16. "49ers Announce Several Roster Moves". 49ers.com. December 5, 2018.
  17. "49ers Sign CB Dontae Johnson, Waive LB Pita Taumoepenu and Release OL Anthony Davis". 49ers.com. May 28, 2019.
  18. Odegard, Kyle (May 29, 2019). "Cardinals Claim Pita Taumoepenu Off Waivers". AZCardinals.com.
  19. Odegard, Kyle (August 31, 2019). "After Cuts, Cardinals Arrive At Initial Roster". AZCardinals.com.
  20. Boyle, John (November 20, 2019). "Seahawks Activate TE Ed Dickson, Waive CB Jamar Taylor". Seahawks.com.
  21. Boyle, John (January 14, 2020). "Seahawks Sign Six Players To Reserve/Future Contracts". Seahawks.com.
  22. Boyle, John (May 4, 2020). "Seahawks Sign 12 Undrafted Rookie Free Agents; Waive Four Players". Seahawks.com.
  23. Corp, Alistai (August 30, 2020). "Branden Jackson placed on injured reserve". Field Gulls. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  24. Boyle, John (September 3, 2020). "Seahawks Sign WR Josh Gordon and DE Damontre Moore". Seahawks.com. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  25. "Falcons sign LB Pita Taumoepenu and DB Shyheim Carter to practice squad". The Falcoholic. SB Nation. October 20, 2020.
  26. McFadden, Will (November 7, 2020). "Falcons activate Darqueze Dennard off IR". AtlantaFalcons.com. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  27. "Atlanta allows five to become free agents". FantasyGuru.com. January 11, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  28. DiLalla, Aric (May 17, 2021). "Broncos sign three tryout players; Calvin Anderson signs exclusive rights tender". DenverBroncos.com. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  29. DiLalla, Aric (August 23, 2021). "Broncos sign RB Stevie Scott III, make series of roster moves". DenverBroncos.com.
  30. DiLalla, Aric (September 22, 2021). "Broncos sign LB Micah Kiser off Rams' practice squad, promote RB Damarea Crockett to active roster". DenverBroncos.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  31. "Draft Central". www.xfl.com. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  32. "Pita Taumoepenu Named 2023 XFL Defensive Player of the Year". www.xfl.com. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  33. "XFL Transactions". XFL.com. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  34. Greenberg, Ethan (August 8, 2023). "Jets Sign DT Bruce Hector, DE Pita Taumoepenu". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  35. Greenberg, Ethan; Allen, Eric (August 28, 2023). "Jets Make 4 Roster Moves Ahead of Final Cuts". NewYorkJets.com.
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