OXNARD, Calif. — A key to the Dallas Cowboys potentially ending their longstanding Super Bowl drought will be the quality of their linebacker play, and that's one reason Marist Liufau got the nod as the team's third-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, and he's quickly beginning to show them why they made the right call.
As it goes for any rookie in the NFL, but especially those who play a position as cerebral as linebacker, Liufau will run into his share of hiccups and growing pains, but it's also true that he's off to a solid start in his first-ever Cowboys' training camp and, in the team's fourth-padded practice, he delivered his best day thus far.
His coverage ability stood out but so did his skill at both stopping the run and, quiet as it's been kept to this point, rushing the opposing quarterback — landing two would-be sacks on Dak Prescott (if he were allowed to touch him).
"It's going great," said Liufau after Saturday's practice. "There's a lot to learn for sure, and a lot to pick up as a rookie. I'm getting the feel for things and I'm definitely grateful to have great guys around me who are definitely putting me under their wing and helping me along the way."
Already one of the best vocalists on the roster (no, seriously), the "Tennessee Whiskey" cover artist has attached himself to veteran linebackers Eric Kendricks and Damone Clark, absorbing all of their advice while also burying himself in Mike Zimmer's playbook to not only learn his assignments but, much like his days at Notre Dame, to also learn the assignments of his other 10 defensive teammates on any given play.
"It's crucial for me," he said of their mentorship, something Clark also referenced. They have so much knowledge. They've played the game at a high level and anything I can take from those guys is huge for my growth as a player, and even as a person."
Liufau's elite football IQ is one of his main attractions and it's what caused Zimmer and head coach Mike McCarthy to pound the table, so to speak, to get him on the roster during the draft and, seeing as it's helped get him this far, it will likely also help in propelling him much further.
"It gets a little bit easier [when pads come on] because you get your reps in, you learn the playbook more and things start to slow down," he said. "And the more I study, I begin to think faster. … I feel like I'm getting more comfortable and I'm playing faster — also building confidence."
Willing to do whatever Zimmer and the Cowboys ask of him, which includes being "excited" to contribute for John "Bones" Fassel on special teams as the new kickoff rules take hold, Liufau is starting to make waves in Oxnard.
And if he keeps building as he has been, soon those waves will begin crashing onto the shores of the regular season and, eventually, the postseason as well.
