Scouting Halapoulivaati Vaitai: Lions Paid Starter Money for a Backup
Halapoulivaati Vaitai, a.k.a. "Big V," is a head scratcher to me.
Last year, when I was evaluating the Philadelphia Eagles, I did not remotely see five years/$45 million ($20M guaranteed) -- the contract the Lions gave to him -- on film.
Big V was a fifth-round draft pick coming out of TCU in 2016.
That means 32 teams passed on him four times over when the Eagles finally took him in the fifth round.
He was not even the Eagles' starter in 2019.
As a professional talent evaluator who spent four years working in pro scouting on arguably the greatest staff in NFL history with the New York Jets, I saw him as a solid backup, who was better suited as a guard than tackle because of his feet.
I saw him as someone who could play either tackle spot in a real pinch -- and what I mean is like in an emergency situation.
Big V struck me as a solid economical backup.
As a starter at right tackle, his feet are going to get Matthew Stafford crushed.
This one baffles me. This one truly baffles me.
I generally like a lot of what Quinn and Patricia do, and I like the team they have built. But, this one is a real reach.
I have not been this confused since my interview with the Jets when they used their second-round draft pick that year (1998) on a defensive end in Dorian Boose, who I had rated as an undraftable reject. For the record, Boose never amounted to anything in the NFL.
2019 games evaluated (PHI): 9/8 vs. WSH, 9/26 vs. GB, 10/20 vs. DAL, 11/17 vs. NE, 11/24 vs. SEA and 12/1 vs. MIA.
G/T #72 Halapoulivaati Vaitai - 6-foot-6, 320 pounds (PHI backup in 2019)
GRADE: C (average; nothing special about the player)
Scouting Report
Good size and versatility. Spent time this season filling in at both tackle and guard.
Showed the ability to battle, and did what he could to hold the point and to hold up both at both positions. Solid at holding the point. Uses hands to control. Decent playing-strength. Battled. Struggled with foot quickness at tackle when he could either lose through the back-or-front-door.
As a run-blocker, pushed, shoved, screened and did what he could to hold the point. Inconsistent at sustaining and at the second level. Gave a solid effort overall, just limited. Has some aggression. Will get a team beat as a long-term starter, especially at tackle.
Big V played in all 16 games for the Eagles in 2019, but he saw only three starts, as he mostly served as the team's swing tackle.
A report from CBS Sports said the last significant playing time he saw was in 2017 when he played in 73 percent of the offensive snaps. But, he has mostly hovered around 30-40 percent of the snaps in the other years of his career.
Big V replaced Detroit right tackle Rick Wagner, who got cut by the Lions.
I gave Wagner a very average grade last season when he played for Detroit.
To me, the two players are very comparable.
The Lions replaced one average RT with another average RT, and broke the bank to do it. It is not an upgrade.
The Packers ended up signing Wagner to a two-year deal worth $11 million.
That is still crazy money to me for a very average player who is going to make Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers a pinata, if he gets thrust in there as a starter.
At least Wagner is listed on the current Packers depth chart in the manner that he should be -- as a backup.
Signing Wagner to the deal he got in Green Bay makes a heck of a lot more sense to me.
As a GM, I would not have signed either one of them, but at least this makes more sense to me.
Green Bay is paying Wagner like he is a stop-gap player.
Meanwhile, Detroit is paying Big V like he is a franchise RT.
2019 games evaluated for Wagner (DET): 9/8 vs. AZ, 9/15 vs. LAC, 9/22 vs. PHI, 10/14 vs. GB, 10/27 vs. NYG, 11/3 vs. OAK, 11/10 vs. CHI and 11/17 vs. DAL.
RT #71 Rick Wagner - 6-foot-6, 313 pounds (backup)
Grade: C (average; nothing special about the player)
Scouting Report
Decent blocker with decent athletic ability and average anchor and foot speed. Slides out in pass pro, and does a decent job sealing off the perimeter. Uses hands. Battles. Can seal off the back-door, but has a tendency to sometimes stop moving his feet and either start to lose a bit or altogether through the back-door. Losing at the back-door was a very real and a very consistent problem. This is his Achilles' heel.
Sometimes he over-extends and loses through the front-door. Doesn’t give up. Does what he can to recover. Solid at picking up stunts. Could give up ground getting bulled by power. Little light in the backside.
In run-blocking, solid at holding up the edge or barely holding up long enough. Lost too many times. Sometimes holds up to the inside strongly, and will block to the turf -- if he is able. Several times lost to the inside. Inconsistent at blocking inside. Pushed and shoved, but struggled to get any real powerful movement. Had challenges in space at the second level. Didn’t always make it in time, and had some tightness that made adjusting challenging. A short-term solution, and this was the Lions' starting RT headed into Week 12 Washington game.
Even if the Lions decided to cut ties with Wagner, making their very own RT Tyrell Crosby the starter in 2020 would have made a lot more financial sense than breaking the bank for Big V.
Average is average no matter how you slice it.
All three of these guys are very average: Big V, Wagner and Crosby.
2019 games evaluated for Crosby (DET): 9/8 vs. AZ, 9/15 vs. LAC, 9/22 vs. PHI, 10/14 vs. GB, 10/27 vs. NYG, 11/3 vs. OAK, 11/10 vs. CHI and 11/17 vs. DAL.
RT #65 Tyrell Crosby - 6-foot-4, 310 pounds
Grade: C- (average; nothing special about the player)
Scouting Report
An average offensive tackle with very average athletic ability and foot speed. Inserted into the starting lineup at this position against CHI. Has also seen action at LT this season. They have also inserted him as an extra lineman against OAK in Week 9.
In pass pro, kicks out, and does his best to seal the perimeter. Adequate outside. Adequate techniques and usage of hands. Showed he could be beat hard through the back-door several times. Stops moving feet. Very average anchor. Showed he could get bulled. Sort of soft.
As a run-blocker, does what he can to hold the edge. Sometimes, holds it just barely long enough. Doesn’t show a lot of fight. Seemed kind of lethargic. Does just enough to get by. Lost some blocks to the inside. Struggled in space at the second level. Very average at best. Left a lot to be desired for me.
The funny thing to me is that Crosby, who graded out very similarly to Big V, is currently playing on a four-year deal worth $2.7M.
He would never play or start on my team, but I could sleep a lot better at night with that number.
Big V is a colossal-sized man and a colossal-sized $50 million mistake that the Lions have made.
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