Since he was drafted in the third round by the Dallas Cowboys in 2024, things have gone backwards for Marist Liufau. He has played in all 17 games in back-to-back seasons, but he’s mostly done so on special teams. There’s value in that, but certainly not what is expected from a third-rounder. He played 47% of the team’s defensive snaps in 2024, and only 18% in 2025. He was a special teams fixture, though, appearing in 75% of those snaps.
Now, for the third year in a row, Liufau is looking at a positional change, going from middle linebacker as a rookie to off-ball in Year 2, with a bigger change coming: He’s moving to the edge, where the hope is that his aggressiveness and length can be disruptive.
New Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker has said he is excited about Liufau’s possibilities.
Liufau feels the same. ““I’m excited, [it’s] just another opportunity to get on the field,” Liufau said, via the Dallas Morning News. “At the end of the day, it’s not something I can’t do. I’m excited to really showcase what I can do. I will be fine.”
Marist Liufau Was a Draft Stretch
But the reality is, Liufau might just be showing he was a miss on the part of the Cowboys’ scouting staff. It happens. They saw something in Liufau that just has not translated.
The Cowboys can’t say they weren’t warned on this. Liufau was a stretch as a third-rounder in his draft year, a nice college player who seemed to be too much of a tweener to find a consistent role in the NFL.
The NFL.com scouting report on him read: “Liufau offers third-down value as a spot dropper with good field awareness and might have enough man-cover talent to line up over big slot targets from time to time. He appears to lack the instincts to be a consistent tackle-maker as a pro but does have the qualities to potentially compete as a nickel linebacker with special teams value as a Day 3 pick.”
Cowboys Pass Rush Needs Help
But the Cowboys do need all the help that they can get on the edge. They traded for Rashan Gary from the Packers in March, and while he has had bright spots throughout his seven years in the NFL, he has been inconsistent. The other starter is likely to be Donovan Ezeiruaku, the second-year player who had just 2.0 sacks in 17 games last year.
There are questions with the starters. Behind them, though, are more questions–rookie Malachi Lawrence, James Houston (who had 5.5 sacks last season) and Sam Williams (who had just one sack) figure to be the top three reserves in the rotation. Liufau will have a hard time moving up ahead of them on the depth chart.
But that will play out. Fact is, Liufau is running low on time to show what he can do in the NFL.
He is trying to keep his perspective, though, and thinks this move will work.
““It’s been great so far, I love the guys I’m with, and the [linebacker] room to learn from and grow with our position group,” Liufau said. “Just trying to be a sponge, trying to have a lot of fun. I played on the edge in college. It’s fun getting back to that and refining my skills.” “
Cowboys Disappointing Draft Pick Facing Last Chance With Position Change