Florida State defensive lineman Sione Lolohea is a selfless player in the 2025 NFL Draft. Tasked with playing a run-stopping role, Lolohea never complained while executing his assignment at a high level. He’s also garnered interest from NFL teams since a strong Pro Day performance.
Lolohea recently spoke exclusively with The Draft Network. Lolohea discussed entering the transfer portal, stopping the run, his Pro Day showing, recent pre-draft team meetings, and more.
JM: Now that you've had time to reflect, how do you look back on the decision to transfer from Oregon State to Florida State?
Sione Lolohea: I feel like I made the right decision at the end of the day. I learned to control what I could control. I made that decision and put my best foot forward. I feel like I had a good season. I made the right decision.
JM: Talk to me about the role you played on the defense this year. You ate up blocks and made plays in the backfield. You're very selfless.
Sione Lolohea: I just love helping my defense be effective. I love stopping the run. That’s how I best helped our defense in 2024. I have a run-stopping skill set. I feel like I play that role very well. My role on defense was to stand my ground during one-on-ones.
JM: Do NFL teams see you playing a run-stopping role at the next level?
Sione Lolohea: NFL teams want me to rush the passer as well at the next level. The role at Florida State was more of a run-stopping role.
JM: You were a full participant at Pro Day. You put up 21 reps on the bench press. Were you satisfied with the performance?
Sione Lolohea: Yes sir. I was very happy with my performance at Pro Day. I appreciate my pre-draft training staff for getting me right. From a competitive standpoint, I feel like I could have ran faster, or done more reps on the bench press. At the end of the day though, I was happy with what I did.
JM: As you should be. Have you met with any NFL teams throughout this pre-draft process?
Sione Lolohea: I’ve spoken with a few teams since my Pro Day performance. I met with the Miami Dolphins, Washington Commanders, Cincinnati Bengals, Las Vegas Raiders, and Kansas City Chiefs. All of those teams hit me up pretty recently.
JM: There’s a lot of interest in you and it’s easy to see why. We've appreciated your time today. Why should an NFL team use one of its draft picks on Sione Lolohea?
Sione Lolohea: I’m a competitive player. I play hard. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win. I’m a selfless player. I always put the needs of the team before my own. I’m the first one in and the last one out.
My numbers [stats] didn’t reflect my impact because I played a selfless role. I played my role at a high level. I’m very competitive.
