An ESPN report detailing Duke linebacker Michael Tauiliili's weaknesses couldn't have been the highlight of the Houston product's week. From the pre-game story:
Tauiliili read his keys and located the ball quickly, but he got engulfed by offensive linemen at times and failed to show sideline-to-sideline range. Tauiliili doesn't appear to be much of a leaper, either. Quarterbacks consistently got the ball over the top of the 5-11 linebacker when throwing intermediate-to-deep crossing routes.
Tauiliili might have put those speculative doubts to rest, at least for some time, Saturday in the Shrine Game itself, when he racked up a game-high 13 tackles in taking Defensive MVP honors in his team's win.
NFL Draft Scout has Tauiliili as the 17th best linebacker in the draft, and one CBS Sports mock draft foresees him going in the sixth round. It seems as if the biggest knock to Tauiliili right now is his height. At 5-foot-10, he may not be able to penetrate the line or compete with interior linemen. Still, he was as good as anyone in the country in his senior year, and his game performances--especially after Saturday--may give him a bigger bump.
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