ML #35

Marist Liufau

Linebacker · Notre Dame

A rangy Notre Dame linebacker Dallas took in the third round who is now being pushed toward the edge.

Marist Liufau overcame a lost 2021 season to injury and became a full-time starter at Notre Dame before the Cowboys took him in the third round in 2024. Long and athletic at 6-foot-2, he has settled in as a rotational linebacker in Dallas and is now being developed as an edge rusher under the team's newer defensive scheme.

★ Third-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in the 2024 draft

★ Recorded 44 tackles and three sacks in his final Notre Dame season

★ Totaled 80 career tackles through his first two NFL seasons

Path to the league

Liufau missed the entire 2021 season with an ankle injury before returning to start 13 games in 2022, recording 51 tackles, an interception and half a sack. He followed that with 44 tackles and three sacks in 2023, then opted out of Notre Dame's Sun Bowl to prepare for the draft, where Dallas selected him in the third round, 87th overall, in 2024.

Career highlights

Liufau has appeared in 34 games across his first two NFL seasons, totaling 80 tackles, 2.5 sacks and three forced fumbles as a linebacker in Dallas's front seven. His length and range have made him a candidate for an expanded role, and the Cowboys have begun working him at edge rusher to take advantage of his athleticism.

2025 season recap

Liufau played in all 17 games in 2025 with five starts, finishing with 30 tackles, 1 sack and a forced fumble as he continued developing within Dallas's linebacker rotation. He enters this stretch of his career at something of a crossroads as the team looks to define his best long-term position.