Player
Marist Liufau
LB · Cowboys
Marist Liufau: facts drawn from the play-by-play.
Notre Dame LB drafted in the 3rd round — already has 2.5 career sacks in 2 seasons.
TrendLiufau by season (regular season)
| Season | Team | Tackles | TFL | Sacks | QB Hits | PDs | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | DAL | 26 | 4 | 1.5 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 2025 | DAL | 17 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
Liufau came to Dallas as a 3rd-round pick out of Notre Dame in 2024 and immediately got rotational LB snaps: 26 tackles, 4 TFL, 1.5 sacks as a rookie. The 2025 line is more pass-rush focused — 3 QB hits and 1 sack in a narrower role, with 0 PDs suggesting fewer coverage snaps.
He's a hybrid LB/edge type at 6'2, 239 lbs — Notre Dame used him as a stand-up rusher on passing downs, and the Cowboys appear to be replicating that role in 2025.
5 QB hits in 2 seasons — strong rate for a 3rd-round rookie LB.
SplitPass-rush production by season
| Season | Sacks | QB Hits | TFL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1.5 | 2 | 4 |
| 2025 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Liufau's pass-rush volume is the most interesting part of his profile: 2.5 sacks and 5 QB hits in 2 seasons as an off-ball LB. Most 3rd-round LBs don't post real pass-rush numbers in their first two years — they're learning coverage assignments and run fits.
His Notre Dame projection emphasized his blitz instincts, and the Cowboys are leaning into that.
3 career forced fumbles — 2 of them in his rookie year.
MilestoneLiufau forced 2 fumbles as a rookie in 2024 — a notable ball-disruption rate for a player who only logged 26 tackles. He's added 1 more FF in 2025, putting him at 3 career forced fumbles in just 2 seasons.
For a player still finding his role between LB and hybrid edge, the ball-out-on-contact tendency is the kind of profile that buys you snaps even when your pure run-defense numbers slip.
Rookie year was his peak — 2025 tackles are down 35%.
AnomalySophomore year drop
| Stat | 2024 (Rk) | 2025 | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tackles | 26 | 17 | -35% |
| TFL | 4 | 1 | -75% |
| PDs | 3 | 0 | -100% |
The sophomore-year slip is real: tackles down 35%, TFL down 75%, PDs to zero. This is usually a sign of a player whose snap share has been pulled back as the team brought in veterans or other rotational pieces.
However, the pass-rush numbers are roughly flat (1.5 → 1 sack, 2 → 3 QB hits), suggesting the role has narrowed to a passing-down specialist rather than a 3-down linebacker.
Notre Dame LBs in the 2024 class — Liufau has the highest combined sack/FF total.
ComparisonAmong the 2024 LB draft class, Liufau's 2.5 sacks + 3 FFs over 2 seasons is a top-tier disruption profile from a 3rd-round LB. Most of his class peers (Trotter Jr., Edgerrin Cooper, Tommy Eichenberg) post higher tackle volumes, but the ball-disruption rates skew Liufau's direction.
For a Cowboys defense that needed athletic LB depth, his rookie-contract production through 2 years justifies the 3rd-round capital — even with the 2025 volume dip.
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