Amini Silatolu

Amini Silatolu
No. 66  Carolina Panthers
Position: Guard
Personal information
Date of birth: September 16, 1988
Place of birth: Redwood City, California
Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight: 315 lb (143 kg)
Career information
High school: Tracy (CA) West
College: Midwestern State
NFL draft: 2012 / Round: 2 / Pick: 40
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
  • AP Little All American First Team (2011)
  • AFCA Division II All American First Team (2011)
  • Lone Star Conference Lineman of the Year (2011)
  • All-Lone Star Conference First Team (2011)
  • AP Little All American Second Team (2010)
  • AFCA Division II All American First Team (2010)
  • Lone Star Conference South Division Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year (2010)
  • All-Lone Star Conference South Division First Team (2010)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 11, 2013
Games played: 18
Games started: 18
Stats at NFL.com

Aminiasi Silatolu (born September 16, 1988) is an American football guard for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Of Tongan descent, Silatolu attended and played college football for Midwestern State University from 2010 to 2011. He was selected by the Panthers in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft, with the 40th overall pick.[1]

High school career

A native of Redwood City, California, Silatolu attended Merrill F. West High School in Tracy, California, where he a lineman on both sides of the ball. The 2005 team went to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship game and finished as runner-up, and in 2006 they got as far as the section semifinals.[2] Silatolu was not recognized by any recruiting service.

College career

After graduating from high school in 2007, Silatolu took the junior college route to San Joaquin Delta College, where he was a heralded offensive tackle.[3] After starting nine of ten games at left tackle as a freshman, he had a dominant sophomore season earning California Community College Coaches' Association first-team All-America, first-team Region II All-California and first-team All-Valley Conference honors in addition to capturing All-Valley Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year. Despite his accomplishments, Silatolu was regarded as only a two-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com.[4][5] He drew interest from California, Hawaii, San Jose State, and Tennessee,[3] before signing with Nevada. However, he did not qualify academically and had to sit out the 2009 season.[1][6]

Silatolu transferred to Division II Midwestern State, where he dominated the competition with his aggressive play, and was a two-time All-American in 2010 and 2011. Protecting the blind side of quarterback Zack Eskridge, Silatolu draw the attention of NFL scouts.[7] He delivered 182 knockdowns and 43 touchdown-resulting blocks, and allowed just one-half sack and one quarterback pressure in 560 pass plays. He was selected as the Lone Star Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year both of his seasons at MSU,[8] and in 2011 finished as runner-up in voting for the Gene Upshaw Award, which is presented to the nation's top Division II lineman. He was invited to participate in the 2012 Senior Bowl—the first MSU player to ever receive an invitation—but was unable to play due to an injury.[9] Besides Rishaw Johnson, Silatolu was the only D-II player invited to the 2012 Senior Bowl.

Professional career

2012 NFL Draft

Projected as a late-first to second-round prospect,[10] Silatolu was considered one of the top offensive linemen available in the 2012 NFL Draft,[11] and drew comparisons to Jahri Evans.[12] He was drafted in the second round with the 40th overall pick by the Carolina Panthers, the first Midwestern State player ever selected in the NFL Draft.[8] He is the highest-selected offensive lineman from Division II since Jermane Mayberry in 1996, and the highest-selected player from the Lone Star Conference since Mayberry. Silatolu, Mayberry, and Gene Upshaw are the only offensive linemen from LSC teams ever selected in the first two rounds.[13]

Pre-draft measurables
Ht WtArm lengthHand size 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BP
6 ft 3 1⁄2 in 311 lb33 in10 1⁄8 in 5.33 s 1.83 s 3.05 s 4.87 s 7.95 s 31 1⁄2 in 8 ft 11 in 28 reps
All values from the NFL Combine.[14][15]

Carolina Panthers

Silatolu was the first interior lineman selected in the first two rounds by the Panthers since Ryan Kalil in 2007 NFL Draft. On May 11, 2012, Silatolu was signed by the Panthers to a four-year contract worth $4.9 million that included a $2 million signing bonus.[16][17] He started the first 15 games for the Panthers at left guard, before dislocating his wrist in a game against the Oakland Raiders.[18] For his solid rookie season he was named to Pro Football Weekly′s 2012 All-Rookie team.[19]

Personal life

Silatolu is of Tongan descent; his parents, Saia and Lupe Silatolu, immigrated from Tonga to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1985, where Amini was born and raised.[3][20] His younger brother Paul Silatolu, a Naval petty officer, serves on board the USS New York.[20]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Panthers pick OG Amini Silatolu from Division II Midwestern State in 2nd round of NFL draft". The Washington Post. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  2. ↑ Brownne, Bob (April 27, 2012). "Alumni Report: West grad gets the call". Tracy Press.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Barrows, Matthew (24 April 2012). "Lineman Silatolu, eyed by 49ers, driven by his football hunger". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  4. ↑ "Aminiasi Silatolu". Rivals.com.
  5. ↑ "Aminiasi Silatolu Profile". Scout.com.
  6. ↑ "Silatolu remembers his roots". Scout.com. April 26, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Former Mustang to be considered in draft". San Joaquin Delta Collegian. April 27, 2012.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Gholson, Nick (28 April 2012). "Panthers select Silatolu: MSU lineman makes history as No. 40 pick". Times Record News. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  9. ↑ Clements, Ron (27 February 2012). "Silatolu has his NFL audition: Ex-MSU star wows observers". Times Record News.
  10. ↑ "Amini Silatolu | Midwestern State, OG : 2012 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  11. ↑ Pauline, Tony (25 February 2012). "Glenn, Kalil lead impressive group of offensive linemen at combine". SI.com.
  12. ↑ PFW's #22 NFL Draft Prospect: Midwestern State OG Amini Silatolu on YouTube
  13. ↑ "Heads Carolina! Silatolu drafted in second round by Panthers". Midwestern State Mustangs Athletics. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  14. ↑ Combine Player Profiles - Amini Silatolu
  15. ↑ http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=96449&draftyear=2012&genpos=OG
  16. ↑ http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/source_panthers_agree_to_terms_with_amini_silatolu_with_four_year_deal/10769741
  17. ↑ "NFC South rookie contract numbers". ESPN.com. May 15, 2012.
  18. ↑ http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/12/24/3745776/silatolu-out-for-saints-but-may.html
  19. ↑ http://www.profootballweekly.com/2013/01/10/pfwpfwa-2012-all-rookie-team
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Person, Joseph (5 May 2012). "Carolina Panthers blocker Amini Silatolu paves path to pros". Charlotte Observer.

External links