2021 NFL Draft Browns Film Room Series: IDL Tommy Togiai

The Cleveland Browns drafted heavily towards the defensive side of the ball with five of their eight picks being a defensive player. The Browns continued this defensive mindset with their second selection of the fourth round. With their second fourth-round pick, No. 132 overall, the Browns selected interior defensive lineman Tommy Togiai of Ohio State. In seven games last season, he posted 23 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss, one forced fumble, and three sacks.

Togiai could be a factor in the interior defensive line rotation this season. So, what are we to expect from the former Buckeye? In today’s film room, I take a look at Togiai’s game, examining his strengths and weaknesses. So, let’s take a look at what the Browns have in their fourth round pick.

2021 NFL Draft Browns Film Room Series: Greg Newsome, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Anthony Schwartz, and James Hudson

Strengths

Hands

Togiai plays with active hands, always fighting to gain an advantage against his blocker. He showcases power and strength from his hands. He can lay heavy punches on the offensive line. His hand placement is also really good, allowing him to get good leverage. Here are some examples of his strong, active hands.

In the first play versus Nebraska, Togiai is rushing the passer from the right A gap. The Buckeye pulls off a nice rip move. He swipes the right guard and then rips under the blocker’s arms to get to the backfield. He is able to stiff-arm the blocker away and turn inside to get a hit on the quarterback. In the second play against Penn State, Togiai comes off the line attacking the left guard. He is initially double-teamed, but the center falls off the block. Meanwhile, the Buckeye bull rushes the guard with a powerful jab in the blocker’s chest. Then when the defensive lineman sees an alley to the pocket, he clubs the blocker to get him off balance, allowing Togiai to turn inside and get to the quarterback for a sack. In the third play versus Penn State, Togiai pulls off a powerful bull rush against the right guard. The bull rush stuns the blocker and pushes him into the pocket where the Buckeye is able to get away and find the quarterback for the sack. In the last play versus Northwestern, Togiai is in left A gap for this run play. The left guard is supposed to crash inside to pick up the Buckeye defender, but the defensive lineman completely pushes him aside as he tries to pick him up. Now free, Togiai heads to the left side to get the run stop.

Get-Off

Togiai can explode off the line of scrimmage. His first and second steps are really quick. This ability allows him to quickly get upfield and gain an advantage against his blocker. He can slip through gaps with this explosive get-off. Here are some examples of his quick, explosive get-off from the line of scrimmage.

In the first play against Nebraska, Togiai lines up in the left A gap for this pass rush situation. The defensive lineman explodes off the line and is the first lineman out of his stance on either side of the ball. This stuns the center and allows the Buckeye to get penetration into the backfield. With this quick advantage, he continues to churn his feet to eventually break through the line and put pressure on the quarterback. In the second play versus Penn State, Togiai lines up in the right A gap. The Buckeye has another great get-off, which allowed him to beat the right guard before he could get in front of him. This quick move gives him the chance to break into the backfield and close off the left side of the line, forcing the quarterback inside for a short gain. In the final play against Northwestern, Togiai is lined up in the left B gap for this pass rush situation. He is the first one out of his stance and the furthest defensive lineman downfield after just a few steps. This quick jump helps him to get into the left guard’s chest in a quick fashion. Once he meets the blocker, he shows off his quickness to pull off a speed rush on the outside. The Buckeye is able to turn the corner and force the quarterback up into the pocket where he is eventually sacked.

Movement Skills/Effort Level

Togiai moves extremely well for an interior defensive lineman. He can move his body well for a man his size. In pursuit, he shows better than average speed for an interior defensive lineman. He pairs these movement skills with a high effort level. His motor is always running. He does not quit on a play. Here are some examples of his movement skills and effort level.

The first play versus Nebraska just shows off Togiai’s athleticism and effort. He is double-teamed in the left A gap and is forced to the right away from where the play is going. But, does not stop. He sees the ball carrier heading around the edge and down the sideline, so he sprints downfield to help track him down. The defensive lineman shows off his speed and effort level to almost bring down the ball carrier downfield. In the second play against Nebraska, Togiai is in the right A gap for this counter run play. With the motion of the line going left, he has to quickly slip past the down-blocking lineman and then cut back to the right to chase down the runner. He does this in an impressive fashion, resulting in him helping bring down the ball carrier.

In the third play versus Penn State, Togiai has lined up in the left A gap for this pass rush situation. He does not have a lot of success in crashing the pocket, but the defensive lineman is fully aware of what is happening in front of him. He sees the quarterback leak out the left side of the pocket and immediately sprints to the sideline to cut him off. The defensive lineman is able to meet the quarterback at the edge and block him from breaking downfield for a gain. In the fourth play against Penn State, Togiai has lined up in the left A gap. Penn State runs a screen pass and the defensive lineman plays it extremely well. When he realizes the play, Togiai fluidly changes direction to head toward the running back. He does it so well and quickly that he is just a few steps behind the back as he heads to the outside. If the pass was completed, Togiai would have been in a great position to make the stop.

Leverage

Togiai plays with excellent leverage, allowing him to play as an undersized interior defensive lineman. He comes off the line lower than the blocker to gain good leverage. This leverage allows him to withstand the power and strength of bigger blockers. He is a strong man, but his leverage is a huge aid for him in overpowering opposing blockers. Here are some examples of his strong leverage.

In the first play versus Nebraska, Togiai is in the left A gap. He explodes off the line and into the chest of the center. He sticks the center in the middle of his chest, allowing him to gain leverage versus the center. With the leverage advantage, the Buckeye is able to stand his ground and not give up any ground. This allows him to be in a position to get off the block quickly and help close on the ball carrier for a stop. In the second play against Nebraska, Togiai has again lined up in the left A gap. He once again bursts off the line and into the center. He blasts the center in the middle of his chest, pushing the blocker back into the backfield. This puts him in a position to await the runner in the gap to help bring him down for a stop. In the third play versus Penn State, Togiai is lined up in the right A gap. The Buckeye fires off the line and right into the chest of the right guard, standing the blocker up right at the line of scrimmage. The defensive lineman is able to win the leverage game and get the blocker off-balance, allowing Togiai to easily get off the block and bring the ball carrier down. The final play versus Penn State is one we looked at earlier in the hands section. But, the success of the bull rush can also be attributed to Togiai’s ability to win the leverage game. He bull rushes the right guard, firing off the line and hitting the blocker in the chest. He came in low, which allowed him to completely bowl over the blocker into the backfield.

Weaknesses

Size/Length

At just 6-foot-1, 296 pounds, Togiai is an undersized interior defensive lineman. He lacks the ideal weight and length for the position. This can affect him in numerous ways on the field and it is the biggest thing that could hold him back as a player in the NFL. Bigger blockers can overpower him. His length is the biggest inhibitor to his game. He can get caught a bit too long on blocks, allowing defenders into his body so that they can keep ahold of him. He can miss opportunities in the hole because he doesn’t have the reach to get to them. He really struggles with double teams. The lack of length and size causes him to be engulfed by double teams. This limits his role for the defensive line. He will not be a block holder for a defense. Here are some examples of where his lack of size and length shows up.

In the first play against Nebraska, Togiai has lined up in the left A gap as he is doubled team at the beginning of the play. The defensive lineman was unable to keep his ground and take on both blocks given his lack of length and size. He is pushed backward, creating a gap in the line of scrimmage. In the second play versus Penn State, Togiai is in the right A gap when he is once again double-teamed. This time he is shoved to the left side of the field by the tackle, leaving the right side open. Luckily, he had help from his fellow defender. But, Togiai is unable to stand his ground versus the double team, with the tackle easily pushing him off his spot. In the final play versus Northwestern, Togiai is in the left A gap. The Buckeye does a good job at the start to gain leverage and stand up the left guard from pushing him downfield. But, as he gets in position to make the stop, his lack of length burns him. The ball carrier cuts inside of the defensive lineman, but Togiai is in a position to bring him down. However, Togiai’s short arms haunt him as the ball carrier is able to break through the grasps of the defensive lineman. The defensive lineman’s reach was just not long enough to wrap up the ball carrier.

Production

Togiai only has one year of high-level production and that occurred in a seven-game season last year. His previous two seasons at Ohio State saw him as a rotational interior defensive lineman with average production. It took his third season at Ohio State for him to be the starter in the interior and for him to produce at a big-time level. There should be some pause about his production level in college.