Pita Taumoepenu (born March 9, 1994) is an American football linebacker for the

St. Louis Battlehawks The St. Louis BattleHawks are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. The team was founded by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL owned by Dwayne Johnson’s Alpha A ...

of the United Football League (UFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Utah. He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the

2017 NFL draft The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...

Professional career

Pre-draft

Coming out of Utah, Taumoepenu was ranked as the 28th best

outside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

prospect by CBS Sports. On October 4, 2016, it was announced Taumoepenu had received an invitation to play in the

NFLPA Collegiate Bowl The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game for NFL draft-eligible college players, held annually in January. The event was founded in 2012 by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). Players predomi ...

. On January 21, 2017, Taumoepenu attended the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and recorded four solo tackles and one sack as a part of Jim Zorn's American team who lost 27–7 to Mike Martz's National. He was one of eight Utah players invited to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. He completed the majority of combine drills and finished second amongst all the

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

in the

40-yard dash The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a he ...

and the

three-cone drill The three-cone drill, 3-cone drill or L-drill is a test performed by American football players. It is primarily run to evaluate the agility, quickness and fluidity of movement of players by scouts. It is most commonly seen at the NFL Combine in p ...

, only behind Kansas State's Jordan Willis, and finished sixth in the

short shuttle The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footba ...

. On March 23, 2017, Taumoepenu attended Utah's pro day and performed the majority of combine drills. He attended a private meeting with

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Taumoepenu was projected to be a seventh round pick or priority undrafted free agent. He was ranked the 29th best outside linebacker prospect by NFLDraftScout.com.

San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers selected Taumoepenu in the sixth round (202nd overall) of the

. The 49ers previously acquired the pick used to select Taumoepenu in a trade with the Denver Broncos in a trade that sent Vernon Davis to the Broncos. On May 4, 2017, the 49ers signed him to a four-year, $2.54 million contract that included a

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

of $145,444. Throughout training camp, he competed for a roster spot against

Brock Coyle Brock Coyle (born October 12, 1990) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Montana and signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2014. College career Coyle played college football at the ...

Eli Harold Medgar Elisha Harold (born January 20, 1994) is a gridiron football defensive end who is a free agent. He played college football for the University of Virginia Cavaliers. Early years Harold attended Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach ...

, Ray-Ray Armstrong,

Dekoda Watson Dekoda Watson (born March 3, 1988) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State. Early years Watson attended South ...

, and Jimmie Gilbert. Head coach Kyle Shanahan named him the third strongside linebacker to begin the season, behind Harold and Watson. On September 1, 2018, Taumoepenu was waived by the 49ers and was signed to the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

the next day. On December 5, 2018, Taumoepenu was promoted to the active roster. On May 28, 2019, Taumoepenu was waived by the 49ers.

Arizona Cardinals

On May 29, 2019, Taumoepenu was claimed off waivers by the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

. He was waived/injured during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019, and reverted to the team's

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

list the next day. He was waived from injured reserve with an injury settlement on September 10, 2019.

Seattle Seahawks

On November 20, 2019, Taumoepenu was signed to the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Seahawks on January 14, 2020. He was waived on May 4, 2020, but rejoined the team on August 30, 2020. He was waived again four days later.

Atlanta Falcons

On October 20, 2020, Taumoepenu was signed to the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster on November 7 for the team's week 9 game against the Broncos, and reverted to the practice squad after the game. His practice squad contract with the team expired after the season on January 11, 2021.

Denver Broncos

On May 17, 2021, Taumoepenu signed with the Broncos. He was released on August 23, 2021. He re-signed with their practice squad on September 22, 2021. He was released on January 5, 2022.

Vegas Vipers

Taumoepenu was drafted by the

Vegas Vipers The Vegas Vipers are a professional American football team based in Las Vegas, Nevada. The team is an owned-and-operated member of the XFL (2020), XFL, owned by RedBird Capital, Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia's Alpha Acquico, LLC. The team beg ...

of the

XFL XFL may refer to: Sports * XFL (2001), a defunct American football league that played its only season in 2001 * XFL (2020), a professional American football league Vehicles * Bell XFL Airabonita, a 1940 U.S. Navy experimental interceptor aircra ...

in the

2023 XFL Draft The 2023 XFL Draft, is the player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams of the 2020 reboot of the XFL, and the second draft in that league's history following the 2020 draft. The draft was held on November 15–17, 2022, with ...

. On May 4, 2023, Taumoepenu was named the inaugural XFL Defensive Player of the Year. He was released from his contract on August 7, 2023.

New York Jets

On August 8, 2023, Taumoepenu signed with the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

. He was released on August 28, 2023.

St. Louis Battlehawks

The

of the XFL signed Taumoepenu on December 23, 2023.

NFL statistics

References

External links

Utah Utes football bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taumoepenu, Pita 1994 births Living people American football defensive ends American people of Tongan descent Arizona Cardinals players Atlanta Falcons players Denver Broncos players Vegas Vipers players New York Jets players San Francisco 49ers players Seattle Seahawks players Players of American football from Provo, Utah Tongan players of American football Utah Utes football players St. Louis Battlehawks players Pacific Islander American players of American football