A seventh-round pick and waiver-wire pickup who has turned into one of the Raiders' most productive interior defenders.
Jonah Laulu's path to a starting-caliber role in Las Vegas ran through Hawaii, Oklahoma, a waiver claim from Indianapolis and a steady climb up the depth chart. Two years into his career, the Las Vegas defensive tackle is now one of the more improved players on the roster.
Path to the league
Laulu, a Las Vegas native who attended Centennial High School, spent four seasons at Hawaii before transferring to Oklahoma for his final two college years, switching to defensive tackle in 2023. Across his college career he totaled 102 tackles, 27.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. The Indianapolis Colts picked him in the seventh round, 234th overall, in the 2024 NFL Draft, but waived him at final cuts; the Raiders claimed him off waivers the next day.
Career highlights
Laulu logged 35 tackles and a sack as a rookie in 2024, then took a significant step forward in his second season. He has been durable, appearing in all 17 games in 2025.
2025 season recap
Laulu posted career highs across the board in 2025, recording 51 combined tackles, 4.0 sacks and 8 pass deflections, and he tied a Raiders franchise record for tackles by a defensive lineman through a player's first two seasons.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Jonah Laulu
- ESPN: Jonah Laulu
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
17 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | raiders | 17 | 51 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2024 | raiders | 17 | 35 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive Tackle
- Group
- defense
- College
- Oklahoma
- Hometown
- Las Vegas, NV, USA
- Age
- 26
- Status
- active
