The Washington Commanders added one of the more intriguing athletic bets in their undrafted class with Utah guard Tanoa Togiai, a massive 6-foot-6, 317-pound lineman whose physical tools jump off the page.
Togiai stands out first for the testing profile. He carries excellent marks in size and explosion, good grades in speed and agility, and even with a short shuttle that leaves something to be desired, his three-cone is above average.
His 33 1/2-inch arms help the case, too. Among all offensive guards in the draft, Togiai finished with the 7th-best RAS score.
That kind of movement ability helps explain why Washington viewed him as more than just a body for camp. Utah’s offensive line was one of the most athletic and highest rated units in college football last season, which may have played a role in Togiai going undrafted. He also came into the game with a raw edge to his technique, and that likely mattered as well.
His path to the offensive line wasn’t even a straight one. Togiai, who is of Polynesian descent, grew up in Rigby, Idaho, and played defensive line for the Rigby High Trojans.
He was part of the team that helped head coach Armando Gonzalez win the first of his five state titles. Gonzalez still remembers Togiai’s semifinal performance against Rocky Mountain in 2019, when the coach summed it up by saying, “They couldn’t block him.”
Once he got to Salt Lake City, the switch to offense began. Togiai sat out 2020, played in two games in 2021, then appeared in 21 games with two starts at left tackle over the next two seasons.
In 2024, he moved into the starting left guard spot next to future first-rounders Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu. During Utah’s fall camp, Togiai said the comfort of settling in at left guard made him feel more confident.
That continuity showed up in his final season. As a sixth-year senior, he earned All-Big-12 Honorable Mention honors after allowing just seven pressures and seven hurries on 394 pass-blocking snaps. He didn’t give up a sack, and he was part of a Utah line that reached the semifinal stage for the Joe Moore Award, given to college football’s best offensive line unit.
Even with that production, Togiai remains a work in progress. His film shows a player who plays too upright at times and has trouble keeping his pad level down in the run game. The hand usage and punch still need work, but the athleticism and foot speed are real, and he has the traits to mirror pass rushers and work in space.
Washington looks like a sensible landing spot. The Commanders are deep enough at offensive line that Togiai does not have to force his way into immediate action, but the practice squad could use a high-upside addition, especially with several of those 53-man players set to become impending free agents in 2027.
His athletic profile matches starters Laremy Tunsil, Chris Paul, Sam Cosmi, and Josh Conerly Jr., and the Commanders’ zone scheme should fit him well. Tackle flexibility adds another layer, and new offensive line coach Darnell Stapleton has already worked with a similar type before, coaching consensus All-American O’Cyrus Torrence at Florida.
There is still plenty of development ahead, but if Togiai keeps progressing the way he has so far, Washington may have found a big guard worth investing in.
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