Underrated Jaguars Part 3: Tyson Alualu

2/24/2016

One of the most underrated players on our team, Tyson Alualu has been a very solid player in whichever role he has been asked to play. He may not have lived up to his lofty expectations as a first round pick, but he’s been a very solid player for his entire career.

By Travis Johns

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Who is this Guy?

One of the biggest reaches in the 2010 draft, Tyson Alualu was drafted 10th overall by the Jaguars (fans may remember that we drafted him over Tim Tebow, which I was livid about) out of California. Alualu had been a defensive tackle in high school and college but Jack Del Rio wasn’t sure on whether to play him as a 3T defensive tackle or a strong-side DE. For three years as a starter or significant contributor under Del Rio and Mike Mularkey, Alualu had 123 total tackles and 9.5 sacks. Are these great numbers? No. Alualu also provided very solid play against the run early in his career and has improved in that area even more.

When Gus Bradley came on board in 2013, he moved Alualu to the Elephant end position. This role really suited Alualu’s skill set, which is to occupy blocks and be solid against the run. However, Alualu wouldn’t get much of a chance to start, as Gus Bradley added his old Seattle player Red Bryant, who manned the Elephant end there, to the roster. Alualu became a backup contributor and took that role in stride. He also became the primary backup at the 3T, but he was also stuck behind Sen’Derrick Marks at that position.

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In 2015, Marks’ injury gave Alualu a shot at starting in this defense for a good amount of games. He switched between the 3T position and the Elephant end, depending on what position Jared Odrick was at. The run defense significantly improved when he was in the lineup during Marks’ injury and he (along with Jared Odrick) was one of the reasons the run defense was one of the best in the league (in terms of YPC). He only had 26 tackles and 2 sacks on the season, but he didn’t have much pass-rushing help around him to complement his play style. I wanted to take a look at how the defensive line played with Alualu in the lineup versus how they played with Sen’Derrick Marks as a starter.

Sen’Derrick Marks’ Play in 2015

Sen’Derrick Marks was a huge value signing in 2013 who ended up contributing 78 total tackles, 12.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in the first two years with the Jaguars (after 3 sacks in his first 4 years with Tennessee). However, a torn ACL in week 17 of the 2014 season ruined the beginning of his 2015 season. He ended up tearing a triceps muscle after 4 games played and missing the remainder of the season.

Sen’Derrick Marks is known as a pass-rushing specialist, but was not able to accumulate a sack in his games this season. He improved in the run game, but I think that his run game contributions more stem from him being a bigger name and drawing attention from offenses than his actual ability to play the run well. He ended the season with 6 tackles in 4 games and looked way less explosive than he did in his outstanding 2014 season. As a fan, I’m concerned that these injuries will ruin the way he plays his game. His best trait is his explosiveness, but I think his torn ACL really limited that this past season and could permanently limit him in that aspect. Now, this triceps injury could ruin his upper body strength and limit his ability to fight off blockers and hold his ground in the run game. What will these injuries mean for his career?

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Tyson Alualu in 2015

This season, Alualu played really well against the run. At the Elephant end, Alualu can occupy blockers with ease and force offensive lines to focus on him and let the linebackers make plays. I think this is his best position. He’s freakishly strong at the point of attack and works best when he isn’t asked to penetrate. However, the team played him a lot at 3T when Marks was injured (I think Odrick should have moved to 3T and Alualu to Elephant) and this limited his skill-set. He isn’t explosive enough to penetrate as a pass-rusher, which is critically important for the 3T (especially when the LEOs on the roster are consistently putting up goose eggs). He doesn’t have the speed to play the position, but is strong enough to hold up against the run and lets linebackers make the plays.

Overall Assessment

After watching some film and looking at the defensive lines when both play, I don’t really know who is a better player or who the team works better with. I love Sen’Derrick Marks, but if he can’t recover from injury this offseason, he’ll be a shell of his former self. I don’t mean to rag on a player on his birthday (February 23rd) but I don’t know if he will start on this team again if they make the changes that I think they need to. However, in this situation, Alualu won’t be starting either, as Odrick would move to 3T and we’d add a smaller SDE to the mix.

If the scheme doesn’t change, I think that either Marks will start at 3T and Odrick at Elephant or Odrick at 3T and Alualu at Elephant. If Marks doesn’t start, he’ll become an interesting addition to the Lightning package, as he can (hopefully) still provide some pass rush for this team. A Lightning package with Fowler, Ryan Davis, Sen’Derrick Marks and another DE (Joey Bosa please) would be deadly and could hold up against the run better than the Lightning packages of days past have. If Alualu is moved to the pine, he’ll be a significant contributor and can spell the 3T and Elephant ends when need. Both players are valuable to the team and have a place on this team.

Again, keep reading my stuff here on genjag.com and on Reddit and follow me on Twitter @twjohns97. Let me know what you think of Alualu in the comments section below! Go Jags!

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