Former Sooners DT Jonah Laulu is continuing to prove everyone wrong in the best way possible by being Raiders’ biggest surprise
The Las Vegas Raiders got a steal in former Sooners defensive tackle Jonah Laulu after the Indianapolis Colts didn’t use him.
The Las Vegas Raiders took a flier on former Oklahoma Sooners defensive tackle Jonah Laulu by signing him to their practice squad and then letting him fight for a role on the 53-man roster. Not only did he fight for a role, but he also took over the starting role next to Adam Butler, which was left open after the release of Christian Wilkins.
He’s had an amazing season, and on Sunday, he had one of his best games. The Raiders PR staff tweeted out some impressive accolades that Laulu now has that not many can say they do.
Raiders DT Jonah Laulu and his 2025 stats
- Laulu has 4.5 sacks through six games.
- Third-most pressures on the team with seven, behind Crosby and Malcolm Koonce.
- Has one pass batted down at the line of scrimmage to disrupt a play, as compared to Crosby’s three.
- Has a 0% Broken Tackle + Missed Tackle Rate
Raiders DT Jonah Laulu is doing what hasn’t been done since 1986
“DT Jonah Laulu brings down TEN QB Cam Ward for a sack and a loss of nine yards. Laulu now has a career-high 4.0 sacks in 2025, the third most in the NFL among interior defensive linemen. DT Jonah Laulu is the first Raiders defensive tackle to record four sacks in his first six games of a single season since Bill Pickel in 1986 (4.5).” – Raiders PR Staff
Laulu is playing like one of the best defensive tackles in the league right now. Initially, he was just looked at as a guy who could be a space eater in the run game, and a guy who could take on blockers to free up guys like Adam Butler and Maxx Crosby. But that’s not been the case at all.
Teams are doubling Crosby, like crazy, and Laulu is taking advantage of that.
“I can’t lie. Jonah is a special talent, dude can play. He doesn’t even know it yet, but he’s going to be a hell of a player,” Crosby said after the Raiders’ first practice of their 2025 training camp.
If anyone knows about playing on the defensive line, whether it’s rushing the passer or stopping the run, which Crosby is pretty much the best at — it’s him. So, when he says that Laulu is a special player, one hell of a player, actually, and he says so somewhat unprompted — that means something. So far, Laulu is proving Crosby right.
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