Rey Maualuga Stats Scouting Report

SCOUTING REPORT: Maualuga comes from the Lawrence Taylor school of hit first, ask questions later. He is an exceptional all-around athlete that defines the term ball-hawking . His speed and ability to adjust to the play were unmatched this year in college football. Maualuga shows terrific instincts in both the running and passing game, but he will overrun the play occasionally, allowing offenses to use his incredible athletic prowess against him. His willingness to take on blocks, and ability to shed them quickly, allows him to get involved in many more plays than your typical middle linebacker. However, Maualuga is agile enough to avoid blockers as well, to make big plays in the middle of the field. Teams are showing some concern over his maturity level, as he was involved in a few fight while in college. He is considered to be one of the sure picks in the draft this year where a team can be confident what it is getting. Maualuga should be the one of the first inside linebackers to come off the board in April. -STATS

Sports Xchange Scouting Report

OVERVIEW:

A more consistent playmaker than Keith Rivers -- selected 10th overall by the Bengals in 2008 -- Maualuga might be the most explosive hitter in the draft. Blessed with a prototypical combination of size and athleticism, Maualuga has the speed to beat the running back wide and the bulk to be a punisher on the inside. Maualuga impressed scouts with his ability to rush the passer during drills at the Senior Bowl and delivered six sacks as a junior (zero as a senior). His penchant for big plays in coverage make him one of the few inside linebackers of this class capable of playing all three downs. A three-time all-conference selection and 2009 All-American, Maualuga is a difference-maker worthy of a top-20 selection in the 2009 draft.

ANALYSIS:

Positives: Good initial quickness off the snap. ... Quickly gets to top speed, flashing rare downhill explosiveness for the position. ... Reads the action quickly. ... Willing to take on blocks and has the strength and hand technique to shed quickly. ... Good lateral quickness to evade blockers and has the speed to beat backs to the flanks. ... Gets good depth on his pass drop and is quick to close on the ball. ... Punishing hitter with four career forced fumbles. ... Productive pass rusher with the speed to close on even mobile quarterbacks. ... Can break down in space to make the secure open-field tackle.

Negatives: Has a tendency to overpursue, opening holes in the defense for quick and savvy ballcarriers to exploit. ... Too often relies on his explosive hitting to knock down ballcarriers, rather than wrapping up to make secure tackles. ... Concerns about his maturity. ... Repeated troubles while at USC involving fights and alcohol. ... Arrested for misdemeanor battery after punching a student at a Halloween party in 2005. The charge was eventually dropped.

HIGH SCHOOL:

Prep Star Top 100 Dream Team, Student Sports Top 100, Rivals 100, Super Prep All-American, Prep Star All-American, Tom Lemming All-American, Scout.com All-American first team, EA Sports All-American second team, Super Prep All-Farwest, Prep Star All-West, Long Beach Press-Telegram Best in the West first team, Tacoma News Tribune Western 100, Orange County Register Fab 15 first team and Cal-Hi Sports All-State first team honors as a senior linebacker at Eureka (Calif.) High. He had 96 tackles, 37 tackles for loss, 4 interceptions (2 for TDs), 2 fumble recoveries and 1 kickoff return for a touchdown in 2004.

As a junior in 2003, he was a Student Sports Junior All-American and Cal-Hi Sports All-State Underclass first team pick while posting 146 tackles, 43 tackles for loss, 11 sacks and 1 interception. Eureka went 20-2-1 during his junior and senior seasons. ... He spent his 2001 freshman year at St. Bonaventure High in Ventura (Calif.). Current Trojan Whitney Lewis also prepped at St. Bonaventure.

PERSONAL:

A sociology major at USC. He was born in Oklahoma.