Jonah Laulu Bio
Jonah Laulu is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). Standing 6 feet 5 inches tall and listed at 289 pounds, he wears jersey number 96 for the Raiders. He played college football for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and the Oklahoma Sooners before entering the professional ranks in 2024.
A native of Las Vegas, Nevada, Laulu returned to his home region of the Mountain West and Pacific time zone after being selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. After a brief stint with the Indianapolis Colts, he quickly landed in Las Vegas and has remained a member of the Raiders roster since.
Early Life and Background
Jonah Laulu was born on June 30, 2000, in Las Vegas, Nevada. He grew up in the Las Vegas area and attended Centennial High School, where he developed into a college-level defensive line prospect. The city of Las Vegas, his longtime home, has remained the geographic center of his football life.
Coming out of Centennial, Laulu was rated as a defensive line recruit and accepted an opportunity to play college football far from home. His physical frame, even at the high school level, hinted at the size he would carry into the professional game, where he is currently listed among the largest interior defensive linemen by frame.
Path to American Football
Laulu began his college career with the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in 2018, where he spent his first season as a member of the school’s scout team. At the conclusion of that first year, he was recognized as the scout team defensive MVP, an early indicator of his work ethic and development potential on the defensive line.
After developing with Hawaii through the early 2020s, Laulu transferred to the University of Oklahoma to play for the Oklahoma Sooners, joining one of the most competitive defensive pipelines in college football. The move to a Power Five program set the stage for his transition from a developmental prospect into a draft-ready defensive lineman.
Jonah Laulu Career
Early Career (2018–2021)
Laulu’s first three seasons of college football came at Hawaii, where he worked his way from scout team contributor into a starting-caliber defender. By 2021, his senior campaign with the Rainbow Warriors, he had become one of the team’s most disruptive interior presences, amassing 34 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and four sacks on the season.
That production at Hawaii positioned him for a high-profile transfer to a major conference program. The decision to leave the Rainbow Warriors after the 2021 season marked the end of his developmental phase and the start of a higher-pressure stretch in his college career.
Oklahoma Sooners Breakthrough (2022–2023)
In his first season with Oklahoma in 2022, Laulu made an immediate impact on the defensive line. He recorded 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and an interception, showing a combination of run-stopping strength and pass-rush athleticism that drew the attention of NFL scouts.
Entering the 2023 season, Laulu switched positions and became a defensive tackle, refining his game for an interior role at the professional level. In his final collegiate campaign, he made three starts and totaled 11 tackles, three tackles for loss, and a sack, finishing his college career with momentum heading into the 2024 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders Era (2024–Present)
Laulu was selected in the seventh round with the 234th overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2024 NFL Draft. After being waived by the Colts on August 27, 2024, he did not spend long outside of an NFL roster. On August 28, 2024, the Las Vegas Raiders claimed him off waivers, beginning his current chapter in the league.
Since joining the Raiders, Laulu has settled into the defensive tackle rotation and contributed as a rotational interior defender. Through the early portion of his career, he has been credited with 86 total tackles, 5 sacks, and 8 pass deflections, numbers that reflect a young lineman still establishing his professional identity while playing meaningful snaps for Las Vegas.
Driving Style and Strengths
At 6 feet 5 inches and 289 pounds, Laulu uses his length and mass to hold up against double-teams in the run game while also presenting a viable interior pass-rush threat. His experience at multiple positions along the defensive line, from end to defensive tackle, gives the Raiders flexibility in how they deploy him on early downs and obvious passing situations.
Notable Events and Milestones
Laulu’s most notable milestone to date is his selection in the 2024 NFL Draft and his rapid recovery from being waived by landing on the Raiders roster the very next day. His five career sacks and eight pass deflections as an interior lineman underscore a pass-rushing profile that is uncommon for a late-round selection.
Jonah Laulu Career Wins
As an interior defensive lineman, Jonah Laulu’s career production is measured in pressures, tackles for loss, and sacks rather than win totals. Through the early stages of his NFL career with the Las Vegas Raiders, he has accumulated 86 total tackles, 5 sacks, and 8 pass deflections, providing a foundation of disruptive play.
NFL Highlights
Laulu’s first career sacks came in his debut professional season with the Raiders, building on the pass-rush flashes he showed at Oklahoma. His pass deflections, a notable statistic for an interior defensive lineman, reflect his ability to get his hands up in throwing lanes and disrupt opposing quarterbacks.
Other Wins and Performances
At the college level, Laulu earned the scout team defensive MVP honor at Hawaii following his first season in 2018. He later produced back-to-back seasons of double-digit tackles for loss between Hawaii and Oklahoma, an indicator of consistency as a run-stopping interior presence.
Jonah Laulu Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public information about Jonah Laulu’s parents and extended family is not available in verified sources. As a hometown product of Las Vegas who attended Centennial High School, his developmental path was rooted in the local football community.
Personal Life
Jonah Laulu keeps his personal life largely out of the public eye. Verified details about a spouse, partner, or children have not been confirmed in any available source.
2025 Season Performance
Heading into the 2025 NFL season, Jonah Laulu enters his second year with the Las Vegas Raiders and a full offseason to build on his rookie-year production. His career totals of 86 tackles, 5 sacks, and 8 pass deflections through the early portion of his career set a baseline for the kind of interior disruption the Raiders hope to develop further.
As a former seventh-round pick still establishing himself, Laulu is competing for a steady role within the Raiders’ defensive tackle rotation. His combination of size, positional versatility, and college pass-rush production gives Las Vegas a developmental project with legitimate upside on the interior defensive line.
The outlook for the 2025 season centers on whether Laulu can translate his flashes into more consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks and more tackles for loss in the run game. Continued growth alongside the Raiders’ defensive coaching staff would solidify him as a long-term piece of the team’s defensive front.
