A seventh-round nose tackle out of UCLA who earned a reputation as one of his draft class's best pure run defenders.
Jay Toia landed with Dallas as the final pick of the second day of the 2025 draft's aftermath, a seventh-rounder tasked with providing depth behind one of the league's deepest defensive tackle rooms. He spent his rookie year absorbing the pro game more than playing in it.
Path to the league
A four-star recruit out of Grace Brethren High School in Simi Valley, California, Toia originally committed to USC before transferring to UCLA ahead of his freshman season. Over four years and three seasons as a starter, the 6-foot-2, 342-pound Toia recorded 90 tackles, nine tackles for loss and three sacks, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors in 2024. Dallas selected him in the seventh round, No. 217 overall, in the 2025 draft.
Career highlights
Toia anchored a UCLA run defense that allowed just 2.7 yards per carry in 2023, second-best in the FBS that season. ESPN draft analyst Field Yates singled him out as one of the best run defenders in his draft class, citing his size, strength and low center of gravity against double-teams.
2025 season recap
Toia's rookie season was largely a redshirt year behind a Dallas interior line of Quinnen Williams, Osa Odighizuwa, Kenny Clark and Solomon Thomas. He appeared in five games, recording three total tackles, one pressure and one quarterback hit across 89 defensive snaps.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Jay Toia
- ESPN: Jay Toia
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
5 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | cowboys | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive Tackle
- Group
- defense
- College
- UCLA
- Hometown
- Inglewood, CA, USA
- Age
- 23
- Status
- active
