Berea, OH (92.3 The Fan) – Cleveland Browns general manager John Dorsey filled a second defensive need Friday night in round three of the 2019 NFL Draft when he selected BYU linebacker Sione Takitaki with the 80th overall selection.
“This s a physical, physical football player,” assistant general manager Eliot Wolf said. “He plays with violence and we felt like that was something that kind of separated him from other linebackers in this class.”
The pick was a shock to everyone, including Takitaki, who hadn’t spoken with the team since the Combine and figured when Cleveland went on the clock at 80 it was the perfect time for a bathroom break.
“I was watching it on TV and I saw the Rams going and their pick was in, and I saw Cleveland was next, I was like, ‘Ah, I never really talked to Cleveland in the past, except at the Combine,’” Takitaki said. “I went to use the restroom and as I sat on the toilet, I got a call and I jumped right up and didn’t have to use the restroom anymore.”
Takitaki, who was kicked out of school following multiple suspensions his freshman and sophomore years, took a year away from the game in 2016 to get his life in order.
“It was difficult to be out of playing football, going to school and doing the thing that I love the most and that is playing ball,” Takitaki said. “I feel like stepping away from that really made me look at a lot of things in life and what I really wanted to do. Do I want to play ball or not?
“I feel like just that time being away, getting a job – I worked construction for that whole two semesters that I was away from the game – it kind of really made me get my things in order.”
He did just that and was named a team captain in 2018.
The Browns noticed not only Takitaki’s talent but his transformation as a man, which made them comfortable bringing him to Cleveland.
“He really changed his life around,” Wolf said. “This is a kid who came in immature. He’s from California and went to Utah. Probably wasn’t ready to be away from home. And the cool thing about this guy is he is a success story at BYU. You talk to anyone there, they kind of didn’t think he was going to make it after his first year or so, and he completely turned his life around, became a team captain this year. He was just that guy in the program.”
Takitaki credited his wife for helping him get his life on track after they met and eventually got married.
“I got really lucky, I met a great girl,” Takitaki said. “She was always pushing me to be better. We just fit. She’s a great woman.”
To his credit, Takitaki didn’t transfer. He stayed and worked his way back to BYU where he repaired his once soiled reputation.
“I wanted to come back to BYU and right my wrongs,” Takitaki said. “It is easy to run away. You could always run away and go to another school, hide your problems and never look back.
“I wanted to come back to BYU and make sure that I right my name right since I have been in all of that trouble. I feel like that was the last, final decision to come back and show everybody that I could do it, and I could finish out here. That is exactly what I did.”
Takitaki started all 13 games he played last season for the Cougars. He played both middle and outside linebacker positions and led the team in unassisted (74) and assisted (44) tackles.
“He can run, can cover and can blitz,” Wolf said.
He can also persevere and redeem himself.
Those might be his strongest, and most valuable qualities.
