From now until the 2024 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Wisconsin linebacker Maema Njongmeta.
#55 MAEMA NJONGMETA, LB, WISCONSIN — 6000, 229 pounds (RS. Senior)
Event Name
-2024 East-West Shrine Bowl and 2024 NFL Scouting Combine
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Maema Njongmeta | 6000, 229 | 9 3/8″ | 32 1/8″ | 78 1/4″ |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.81 | 1.63 | 4.66 | 7.32 | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 9’8″ | 34 1/2″ | 15 |
The Good
-Plays with his hair on fire every single snap; intensely hot motor that never stops
-Smart, instinctive linebacker; shows off football IQ and preparation pre-snap
-Well-built for the position overall; thick, well-proportioned frame
-Attacks downhill with force and will outwork you to find a way to make a play
-Explosive player in a phone booth; thrives in his 5-yard box
-Packs a punch at the point of attack as a tackler; makes his presence known
The Bad
-Lacks overall lateral agility, limiting range sideline to sideline
-Struggles at times to work through traffic and find the football against the run
-Very limited as a pass rusher with lack of length, limited feel; asked to blitz far too much at Wisconsin
-Has the want-to to take on and try and stack/shed blockers, but simply doesn’t have the play strength or the length to win at point of attack in that fashion
-Reckless-abandon style takes him out of the play too much; hard to understand what his keys are down to down
-Started to lose playing time in 2023 under new coaching staff after breakout 2022 season for Badgers
Bio
-Played in 33 career games at Wisconsin, starting 21 games
-Finished career with 158 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 6.5 tackles for loss, one interception, three pass breakups and three fumble recoveries
-Recorded 59 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, one pass breakup and three fumble recoveries in 2023
-Named third-team All-Big Ten after 2022 season in which he recorded 95 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss. 3.5 sacks and an interception
-Academic All-Big Ten all four seasons at Wisconsin
-Former four-star recruit out of high school in Illinois
-Born in Cameroon
-Chose Wisconsin over Iowa State, Navy and Tulane
Tape Breakdown
One thing that seems to be a noticeable trend for the off-ball linebacker class in the 2024 NFL Draft is that they are mostly old-school in approach and play style. That is rather eye-opening in today’s wide-open, spread game focusing on speed and athleticism more than size and toughness.
Wisconsin linebacker Maema Njongmeta (pronounced MOO-mah JONG-metta) certainly fits that mold. He looks the part, too, with his taped-up hands and his thick, muscular build. He just looks like an old-school linebacker in his No. 55 jersey. The aesthetics are off the charts.
The tape matches that old-school vibe, too.
After a breakout 2022 season for the Badgers in which he recorded a team-high 95 tackles and earned third-team All-Big Ten honors, the 2023 season was expected to be an even better one for the Cameroon-born linebacker. But a new coaching staff at Wisconsin shook things up and Njongmeta found himself in more of a rotational role, limiting his production.
When he was on the field though, his presence was felt.
The movement skills within the box are rather intriguing with Njongmeta.
Here against LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Jan. 1, Njongmeta does a great job of exploding laterally on the twist. It takes him to the hole, clearly, but Njongmeta does a great job of staying square to the line of scrimmage on his twist, allowing him to be in great position to make a play.
He explodes through the ball carrier, too, leading to a sound tackle in the hole.
At times, Njongmeta is slow to process and can take himself out of the play with overaggressiveness trying to find the football, but late in the season he really settled back down in that aspect.
It showed up in abundance against LSU in the bowl game.
Really solid rep here from Njongmeta early in the game against the run, sifting through the traffic in front, slipping the lead block and making the play in the hole.
When he gets his hands on you as a tackler, you’re usually heading to the ground quickly.
The thing that stands out with Njongmeta is not only his hot motor, but his play within a phone booth.
He’s not the biggest or strongest and doesn’t have ideal length, but he finds ways to make plays.
Though he takes a less-than-ideal angle here trying to get underneath of the block from the tight end, he still finds a way to get to the ball carrier for the stop.
You never have to question his effort or want-to at the position. That’s a great starting point. He wants to make plays, wants to be the guy at the position. He just has to clean some things up. If he can do that, look out against the run. He has some good lateral explosion in tight that allows him to make these types of plays.
Even when he has to run outside of the box in an effort to make a play, he’s going to put it all on the line.
Again, not the best angle and not the best decision to try and shoot through the line where he decided to attack, but he plays with his hair on fire and never quits. He sprints to the ball every time and sets the tone from the effort standpoint that his teammates tend to match.
There are some bits of movement in his game that really jump out. He’s lightning quick at times, but some of those plays don’t line up with sub-par testing, which is rather strange.
Still, trust the tape over the testing at times.
This play against Illinois is a good example of what is so tantalizing with Njongmeta. Good burst laterally to slip the block and still stay square getting into the backfield. He just needs to finish better. But the fact he was able to get a clean look like this after the snap is pretty impressive.
In coverage, Njongmeta wasn’t asked to do a ton as far as man coverage goes. A lot of it was spot drop, at which he was adept. He understands angles and concepts and did well to gain depth in his drops while keeping his eyes on the quarterback to try and get into those throwing lanes.
Though he doesn’t change directions all that quickly here, it’s a good rep in coverage dropping one way, turning and running another and making a forceful tackle at the end of it.
Certainly a solid building block to work with from the Wisconsin linebacker from a coverage aspect.
Conclusion
Overall, I came away rather intrigued with Njongmeta as a run defender. He plays with a motor that runs hot, allowing him to fly around with reckless abandon, making some impressive plays on tape. He is well-built for the position, too, and attacks downhill quite well. He’s a sound tackler who packs a punch at the point of attack and plays with a bowling-ball mentality throwing his body around. But there are real limitations due to his lack of size, length and play strength, and concerns with him losing playing time from 2022 to 2023 with a new staff in place.
He profiles as more of a two-down linebacker early in his career and a potential special teams ace. If he can add some play strength to his game and show the ability to handle a larger role in coverage, he could work his way into a rotational role in the NFL. But the concerns are hard to overlook currently, especially with the testing numbers.
Projection: Late Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 6.6 Backup/Special Teamer (5th-6th Round)
Games Watched: Washington State (2023), Illinois (2023), Ohio State (2023), LSU (2023)
