Trojans' Tuli Tuipulotu reacts to LA Chargers drafting him in second round

Tuli Tuipulotu had a junior season beyond expectations last fall for USC, continuing a trajectory that has been directly upward since he committed to USC as a bit of an under-the-radar three-star defensive end in the 2020 recruiting class.

After emerging as a starter as a true freshman, then developing into a standout as a sophomore, Tuipulotu became a true star in his third season, leading all FBS players with 13.5 sacks and ranking second nationally with 22 tackles for loss to earn Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and consensus All-American status.

And on Friday, the next chapter of his football story came into focus as the Los Angeles Chargers selected Tuipulotu in the second round of the NFL draft, with the 54th overall pick.

He is the second Trojan drafted this year following wide receiver Jordan Addison in the first round (No. 23 overall).

"It's kind of funny, I wasn't even really watching the draft. I was pretty much outside with the family, we [were] all chilling outside ... It was a blessing, for sure. I truly wasn't expecting it," Tuipulotu said in a press conference afterward. "I'm just excited to get to work."

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Tuipulotu has never made a big deal about being in the spotlight. He routinely shrugged off questions last year about leading the country in sacks, so it's no surprise he took a nonchalant approach to the draft as well.

"Just because to be honest I didn't really care where I went. I just knew that no matter where I went I had to prove myself no matter what, whether it was the first, second, third, it don't matter -- I just had to prove myself," he said. "So I was pretty much just chilling with the family."

Tuipulotu, from local Lawndale High School, finished his USC career with 21 sacks, 32 total tackles for loss, 4 forced fumbles and a touchdown over 2.5 seasons (with the shortened 2020 pandemic season).

He follows his older brother and former Trojans teammate Marlon Tuipulotu, a sixth-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2021 draft.

While the Trojans defense had its struggles last season, few players made a bigger impact on USC's 11-3 season than Tuipulotu, who is the hardest player to replace on the roster this year.

Tuipulotu was never a big talker and always soft-spoken in interviews, but he was a team captain due to the example he set daily and how loud his play on the field was consistently.

"He's kind of the guy on the team -- maybe more than anybody -- who moves the needle for us as far as like a mentality standpoint. I don't know if we have a more consistent competitor than that guy," coach Lincoln Riley said. "Brings it every day. He hasn't missed not one thing, he hasn't missed not one spring practice, hasn't missed one rep of fall camp -- he never misses anything. He always shows up ready to compete. You can just tell our guys, our whole football team feeds off him."

In talking about the jump he made from his sophomore to junior season, Tuipulotu praised USC defensive line coach Shaun Nua, who coached him the past year.

"Coach Shaun Nua, he prepared me very well throughout that season. There was a big jump from my sophomore year to my junior year, and a big reason for that was because of Coach Nua," Tuipulotu said.

As for getting to stay close to home in joining the Chargers, just as he did in going to USC, Tuipulotu said he was pleasantly surprised by the outcome.

"I'm happy for sure. I haven't left LA for most of my life. I was kind of preparing myself to go somewhere far, like all the way in the East Coast or something, but I'm happy to stay home and be close to family," he said.

Chargers general manager Tom Telesco said the team kept a close eye on Tuipulotu this last year and was impressed by the versatility with which USC used him in its defense, rotating him from the edge to the interior of the line (to even some linebacker play in a pinch).

"A player we've seen a lot of, obviously. I guess one of the big things we really like about him is his versatility between playing some edge and even how Alex Grinch used him at USC sometimes as like an inside interior pass rusher," Telesco said. "He's really quick, great hand use and just has a great ability to get off blocks one way or another -- whether it's instincts, splipperiness, hand use, power. He just is an active, active player. ... We'll probably use him a lot of different ways."

With the Chargers, Tuipulotu joins a defense that already has Pro Bowl edge rushers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack.

While some early-round draft picks might prefer a clearer path to a major role, Tuipulotu was appreciative of the experience he can tap into with those star players around him.

"I'm blessed. I mean, shoot, coming into the league, that's what I wanted -- I wanted the best to learn from. And man, Joey Bosa and Khalil, that's crazy," he said. "So I'm excited for the opportunity. I'm a sponge so I'm just going to absorb all the info they give me and try to get better and make an impact on the team."