 Lotulelei with theCarolina Panthers in 2015 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 98 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Defensive tackle | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1989-12-20)20 December 1989 (age 35) Tonga | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 315 lb (143 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Bingham(South Jordan, Utah, U.S.) | ||||||||||||||
| College | |||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2013: 1st round, 14th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Starlite Lotulelei Jr. (/ˌloʊtʊˈlɛleɪ/LOH-tuu-LEL-ay; born 20 December 1989) is aTongan former professional player ofAmerican football who was adefensive tackle in theNational Football League (NFL). He was selected by theCarolina Panthers in the first round of the2013 NFL draft. He playedcollege football for theUtah Utes, and shared theMorris Trophy for the best lineman in thePac-12 Conference.[1]
A native ofTonga, Lotulelei attendedBingham High School inSouth Jordan, Utah.[2][3] Playing defensive lineman at 240 pounds, he helped thefootball team to a 14–0 record and a state title in 2006. Lotulelei registered 72 tackles and seven sacks as a senior.
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star Lotulelei DE | South Jordan, Utah | Bingham | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 245 lb (111 kg) | ||
Recruit ratings:Scout:  Rivals: 247Sports: (67) | ||||||
Regarded as a three-star recruit byRivals.com, Lotulelei was listed as the No. 3 overall prospect from Utah.[4] However, he was overshadowed byOregon-boundSimione Fili ofCottonwood High School, who was labeled the best defensive lineman from Utah sinceHaloti Ngata.[5] Fili eventually bounced around between junior colleges before falling into obscurity and finally becoming astrongman competitor.[6][7] Lotulelei, too, failed to qualify academically for his original school of choice,Brigham Young University. He eventually spent what would have been his freshman season delivering furniture for a store inSalt Lake City.[6]
After a year, he enrolled atSnow College inEphraim, Utah.[8] Now far over 300 pounds, Lotulelei played defensive line for the Badgers alongsideJames Aiono, and recorded 52 tackles with 14 tackles for loss, three sacks and one forced fumble in 2008. Snow College reached the 2008NJCAA National Championship Game, but lost 37–30 in double-overtime toButler Community College.[9]
Lotulelei took the 2009 season off to preserve another year of college eligibility. He was still recruited by BYU, but alsoOregon State,Utah State, and Utah. "The Utah coaches came down to Snow a couple of times," Lotulelei said. "They showed me they really wanted me. It showed me they really cared. So coming here wasn't that hard of a choice."[8]
In 2010, Lotulelei transferred to theUniversity of Utah, and played in all 13 games for theUtah Utes football team, and became a starter for the final three games of the season. He totaled 21 tackles with 2.5 tackles for a loss, and also was credited for a halfquarterback sack, which came againstSan Jose State in arguably his best game of the season (season-high five tackles). Lotulelei also made several appearances at offensive guard.
A regular starter in 2011, Lotulelei was an All-Pac-12 Conference performer and won the Morris Trophy as the league's best defensive lineman. He started all 13 games, and registered 44 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one pass breakup, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. His 9.0 tackles for loss tied sophomore linebackerTrevor Reilly for second on the team. In a 14–31 loss againstWashington, Lotulelei had six tackles including 2.5 tackles for a loss. A week later he had five tackles in a 14–35 loss againstArizona State. AgainstCalifornia, Lotulelei surprised with a 17-yard reception on a fake punt play. Utah finished the regular season 7–5 and playedGeorgia Tech in the2011 Sun Bowl. Lotulelei made six tackles and recovered a fumble and was awarded theJimmy Rogers, Jr. Trophy for the Most Valuable Lineman.[10]
Lotulelei returned to the University of Utah for his senior year, and started in all 12 games at nose tackle. He recorded 42 tackles included a team-high 11 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks, while also having four pass breakups, four fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles. A season-high seven tackles plus two pass breakup came early in the season in a 24–21 win against the school to which he had previously committed,Brigham Young. Lotulelei blocked a 51-yard field goal attempt with one second remaining following a third-down incompletion.[11] Two weeks later, Lotulelei had a heralded performance against All-Pac-12 centerKhaled Holmes of theUSC Trojans in a 28–38 loss for the Utes.[12]
Forgoing the chance of a professional career in 2012, Lotulelei decided to return to Utah after the 2011 season. In preseasonmock drafts from May 2012, Lotulelei was listed as a late first-rounder for the2013 NFL draft as well.[13] By mid-season, he had moved up to a top-3 spot.[14] After the season concluded, Lotulelei was still projected to be picked among the first five selections.[15][16] Utah had not seen one of their defensive linemen selected in the first round sinceLuther Elliss went 20th overall to the Detroit Lions in1995. Lotulelei's rare combination of power, snap count anticipation, instincts, quickness, and athleticism frequently drew parallels toHaloti Ngata.[17]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft2+1⁄2 in (1.89 m) | 311 lb (141 kg) | 33+5⁄8 in (0.85 m) | 9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 5.31 s | 1.89 s | 3.12 s | 4.65 s | 7.76 s | 30 in (0.76 m) | 8 ft 9 in (2.67 m) | 38 reps | |
| All values from UtahPro Day (20 March 2013),[18] except for measurements, which are fromNFL Combine[19] | ||||||||||||
Lotulelei was declared ineligible to participate in the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine after anechocardiogram revealed an abnormally lowejection fraction.[20][21] While a normalheart will pump between 55 and 70 percent of the blood out of the leftventricle of the heart and into the body, Lotulelei's left ventricle was found to be pumping at only 44 percent.[21] After further tests by cardiologists at the University of Utah, Lotulelei's condition found to be caused by a viral infection and eventually disappeared, showing "complete normalization of the heart muscle function". Lotulelei has been cleared "to participate in professional athletics without restrictions".[22]
A month after the combine, Lotulelei worked out in front of NFL personnel at Utah's Pro Day. He reportedly "looked strong in all the position drills", and registered 38 repetitions in the 225-pound bench press,[23] which would have tied him withMargus Hunt andBrandon Williams for the top mark at the combine.[24] But despite being medically cleared, Lotulelei's falsely assumed heart condition tarnished his draft prospects.[25] Early Aprilmock drafts projected him to fall out of the top-10.[26][27] However, Lotulelei andSharrif Floyd were "generally viewed as the top two [defensive tackles] in this class."[28] Only a week before the draft, Lotulelei moved up to the No. 4 spot, right behind Floyd, inSports Illustrated's'mock draft.[29]
Lotulelei was selected in the first round, 14th overall by theCarolina Panthers, as the second defensive tackle selected afterSheldon Richardson.[30]
On 22 May 2013, Lotulelei signed a four-year $9.60 million deal.[31] He was named the starting defensive tackle in the 2013 season. On 3 September 2013, Lotulelei changed his jersey number from 96 to 98. He had his first NFL career sack against theNew York Giants.[32] In his rookie year, Lotulelei started all 16 regular games for the Panthers, recording 42 tackles, three sacks, and 23 quarterback pressures.[33] He finished second in the NFL in run stop percentage among defensive tackles at 12.9%, was rated byPro Football Focus as the sixth-best defensive tackle against the run, and helped Carolina improve from 14th in the NFL in run defense in 2012 (110.1 yards per game) to second (86.9 yards per game) in 2013.[34][35] The Panthers finished first in the NFL with 60 sacks in 2013, second in points per game, and third in DVOA team defense. He was named to the All-Rookie teams by the PFWA, ESPN, ProFootballFocus, and SB Nation.[36][37] Lotulelei finished 4th inAP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.[38][39]
Lotulelei picked up from his strong rookie performance in his debut against theTampa Bay Buccaneers where he recorded one quarterback hit, two quarterback hurries, and one tackle. Through the first week of the season, Lotulelei ranked among the top 10 defensive tackles in the NFL in pass rush productivity.[40] During the victory over theAtlanta Falcons in the final game of the regular season that catapulted the Panthers to back-to-backNFC South division titles, Lotulelei finished the afternoon with two sacks, one quarterback hit, and three hurries during his pash rush opportunities onMatt Ryan while recording four stops on only nine snaps against the run.[41] For the season, Lotulelei recorded 21 defensive stops.[42] In his first two NFL seasons, Lotulelei registered 46 run stops and 40 quarterback pressures.[43]
Lotulelei's 2015 preseason was cut short by a stress reaction in his surgically repaired right foot and it further caused him to miss the first two games of the NFL season, during which the Panthers were able to produce victories over theJacksonville Jaguars andHouston Texans.[43] During the Panthers' week 4 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Lotulelei recorded a key fumble recovery that led to points that gave the Panthers the lead in the game.[44] Against thePhiladelphia Eagles, Lotulelei recorded six quarterback pressures. During the Panthers 37–29 victory over theGreen Bay Packers that helped the Panthers move to 8–0 in the first time in franchise history, Lotulelei recorded his first sack of the season against quarterbackAaron Rodgers.[45] Lotulelei had 22 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and two passes defensed on the season. The Panthers finished with a franchise-best 15–1 record and went on to defeat theSeattle Seahawks and theArizona Cardinals. On 7 February 2016, Lotulelei was part of the Panthers team that played inSuper Bowl 50. In the game, the Panthers fell to theDenver Broncos by a score of 24–10.[46] In theSuper Bowl loss, he recorded five tackles.[47]
On 26 April 2016, the Panthers picked up the fifth-year option of Lotulelei's contract.[48]
On 10 September 2017, in the season opening 23–3 victory over theSan Francisco 49ers, Lotulelei's teammateWes Horton sacked quarterbackBrian Hoyer and forced a fumble. Lotulelei recovered the fumble and set the Panthers up for an eventual touchdown-scoring drive.[49] In the 2017 season, he started all 16 games and recorded 1.5 sacks, 25 total tackles, three tackles for loss, five quarterback hits, one pass defensed, and one fumble recovery.[50]
On 13 March 2018, Lotulelei agreed to a five-year deal worth $50 million with theBuffalo Bills. The deal was finalized the next day, on 14 March.[51][52] The signing reunited Lotulelei with Buffalo Bills' head coachSean McDermott, who was previously the defensive coordinator for theCarolina Panthers.
Lotulelei was used mostly as a run-stopping/0-tech tackle in his first season with the Bills. In 2019, he recorded his first sack with the team against theMiami Dolphins in week 11.[53] Two weeks later against theDallas Cowboys onThanksgiving Day, Lotulelei recorded his first NFL interception, picking off a screen pass fromDak Prescott and then blocking a field goal in the same game.[54][55] In the 2019 playoffs, Lotulelei had a key play late in the 4th quarter of the Wild card game against theHouston Texans, stuffing quarterbackDeshaun Watson on a 4th downquarterback sneak to give the Bills the ball back, after which they drove down the field for a game-tying field goal, but Buffalo lost in overtime 19–22.[56]
On 28 July 2020, Lotulelei announced he was opting out of the 2020 season due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[57]
In August 2021, Lotulelei was placed in aCOVID-19 safety protocol due to a close contact with the virus.[58] He was placed back on the active roster on 27 August 2021.[59]
On 18 March 2022, Lotulelei was released by the Bills.[60]
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Comb | Solo | Ast | Sack | Sfty | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | ||
| 2013 | CAR | 16 | 16 | 42 | 31 | 11 | 3.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2014 | CAR | 14 | 13 | 26 | 19 | 7 | 2.0 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2015 | CAR | 14 | 14 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 1.0 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| 2016 | CAR | 16 | 16 | 26 | 14 | 12 | 4.0 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| 2017 | CAR | 16 | 16 | 25 | 6 | 19 | 1.5 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| 2018 | BUF | 16 | 16 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 0.0 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2019 | BUF | 16 | 16 | 19 | 12 | 7 | 2.0 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020 | BUF | 0 | 0 | Did not play due to Covid-19 holdout | ||||||||||||
| Total | 108 | 107 | 177 | 105 | 72 | 13.5 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
Born inTonga, Lotulelei moved with his family to Utah at age 9. His father, Sitaliti, is aMormon seminary teacher and has a doctorate fromBrigham Young University.[61][62]
Lotulelei is married to Fuiva (née Hola) ofDraper, Utah, a former volleyball player he met at Snow College in 2008.[63] The couple has two daughters, Arilani (born 2009) and Pesatina (born 2011).
Lotulelei is a cousin of former AAF linebackerJohn Lotulelei[64] and brother-in-law torugby league playerFuifui Moimoi.[65]
Before the heart condition that was diagnosed at the scouting combine, Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei was thought by most NFL analysts to be a top-3 pick in the upcoming draft, and top-10 at worst. But it was reported on February 24 that abnormalities seen in his echocardiogram—Lotulelei's left ventricle was pumping at 44 percent efficiency compared with the normal range of 55 to 70 percent. That put his combine drills on the shelf, and his future as a high draft prospect in doubt.
