Halapoulivaati Vaitai
No. 72 – Detroit Lions
Position:Offensive guard
Personal information
Born: (1993-06-16) June 16, 1993
Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:322 lb (146 kg)
Career information
High school:Haltom (Haltom City, Texas)
College:TCU
NFL Draft:2016 / Round: 5 / Pick: 164
Career history
Roster status:Injured reserve
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Games played:86
Games started:48
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Halapoulivaati Vaitai (born June 16, 1993) is an American football offensive guard for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at TCU. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He was born in Texas, but his parents are from Tonga.

High school career

Vaitai attended Haltom High School where he played on the football team alongside his two younger brothers, who are twins. Halapoulivaati played tackle, Will played left guard, and Kevin played center. Vaitai was ranked as the 40th best high school offensive line prospect in the country and ranked third in Texas during his senior season in 2011–12.[1] In addition to TCU, he had scholarship offers to Michigan State, Texas Tech, Arkansas, and Utah.[1]

College career

As a freshman in 2012, Vaitai appeared in five games as a backup offensive lineman.[1] As a sophomore in 2013, he appeared in 12 games with seven starts. Five of his starts were at the right tackle position with two being at the left tackle position.[1] As a junior in 2014, Vaitai was a second-team All-Big 12 Conference selection. He started all 13 games at right tackle. He helped the TCU offense finish second in the nation in scoring with an average of 46.5 points-per-game and tied for fifth in total offense with an average of 533 yards-per-game.[1] As a senior in 2015, he was a second-team All-Big 12 selection by head coaches and the Associated Press. He played in 12 of 13 total games with 10 starts. He was a member of an offensive line that helped the Horned Frogs produce both a 1,000-yard rusher and receiver for only the second time in school history.[1]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 6 in
(1.98 m)		 320 lb
(145 kg)		 34+1⁄4 in
(0.87 m)		 10+5⁄8 in
(0.27 m)		5.26 s1.79 s3.05 s4.56 s7.69 s32.0 in
(0.81 m)		9 ft 5 in
(2.87 m)		27 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[2][3]

Philadelphia Eagles

Vaitai was drafted in the fifth round, 164th overall, by the Philadelphia Eagles.[4] He signed his rookie contract with the Eagles on May 6, 2016.[5] The contract was for four years and $2,565,124.[6] After starting right tackle Lane Johnson was suspended for ten games, Vaitai made his first start in Week 5. He held the starting job through Week 11 before suffering an MCL sprain in that game, keeping him out of the starting lineup the rest of the season.[7]

In the 2017 season, Vaitai filled in for right-tackle Lane Johnson against the Carolina Panthers due to injury. He then filled in for injured left-tackle Jason Peters in Week 7 against the Washington Redskins and for the rest of the 2017 season. Vaitai ended the 2017 season with a Super Bowl championship for the Eagles when they defeated the Patriots in Super Bowl LII.[8]

Detroit Lions

On March 26, 2020, Vaitai signed a five-year, $50 million contract with the Detroit Lions.[9][10] He was placed on injured reserve on November 25, 2020.[11] On December 19, 2020, Vaitai was activated off of injured reserve.[12]

On September 5, 2022, Vaitai was placed on injured reserve with a back injury.[13] On September 14, Vaitai underwent back surgery.[14] He was ruled out for the remainder of the season on October 28.[15]

On November 14, 2023, Vaitai was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury.[16]

Personal life

Vaitai is the son of Talikavili and Shirley Vaitai and is of Tongan descent. He is married to former TCU women's basketball player Caitlin Diaz.[17]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Halapoulivaati Vaitai Bio". GoFrogs.com. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Halapoulivaati Vaitai Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  3. ↑ "2016 Draft Scout Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Texas Christian NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  4. ↑ Berman, Zach (April 30, 2016). "Eagles bolster offensive line by drafting TCU's Halapoulivaati Vaitai". Inquirer.com. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  5. ↑ Quigley, Ryan (May 6, 2016). "Philadelphia Eagles sign 2016 draft selections Seumal, Vaitai". InsideTheGiggles.com. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  6. ↑ Kempski, Jimmy (May 6, 2016). "Eagles sign offensive linemen draft picks Isaac Seumalo and Halapoulivaati Vaitai". PhillyVoice.com. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  7. ↑ Zangaro, Dave (November 21, 2016). "Eagles Injury Update: Halapoulivaati Vaitai Has MCL Sprain". CSNPhilly.com. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  8. ↑ Jones, Lindsay H. (February 4, 2018). "Eagles dethrone Tom Brady, Patriots for first Super Bowl title in stunner". USA TODAY. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Lions agree to terms with eight free agents". DetroitLions.com. March 26, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  10. ↑ Patra, Kevin (March 16, 2020). "Lions agree to 5-year, $50M deal with OT Vaitai". NFL.com. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Lions announce roster moves". DetroitLions.com. November 25, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Lions announce roster moves". DetroitLions.com. December 19, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  13. ↑ Twentyman, Tim (September 5, 2022). "Lions place G Halapoulivaati Vaitai on Reserve/Injured". DetroitLions.com. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  14. ↑ Garcia, Tony (September 14, 2022). "Detroit Lions OL Halapoulivaati Vaitai has back surgery, status unknown for season". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  15. ↑ Meinke, Kyle (October 28, 2022). "Lions' Halapoulivaati Vaitai likely out for year due to back surgery". mlive.com. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  16. ↑ Risdon, Jeff (November 14, 2023). "Lions place Halapoulivaati Vaitai on I.R. among Week 11 roster moves". USAToday.com. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  17. ↑ Hayes, Marcus (November 9, 2017). "Eagles lucky to have Vaitai for now, and for the future". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
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