Giants Add Muasau on Day Three of NFL Draft
UCLA linebacker Darius Muasau, who led the Bruin team in tackles in each of the past two seasons, was selected on Saturday by the New York Giants in the sixth round with the 183rd overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. He is the first UCLA player chosen by the Giants since defensive back Darnay Holmes in the 2020 draft.
Muasau was a starter in all 26 games he played in for the Bruins. A second-team All-Pac-12 selection by the league coaches in 2023, he recorded 75 tackles, including a season-high 11 stops in the Starco Brands LA Bowl win to help him earn the game's Defensive Most Valuable Player honors. Muasau rated third on the squad last season with 10.5 tackles for loss and was fourth on the team with 4.0 sacks. He also tied for the team lead with six pass breakups while totaling at least five tackles in nine games.
In 2022, Muasau paced the Bruins with 91 tackles and ranked 10th in the conference with a 7.0 tackles per game average. He was credited with a season-best 14 tackles in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl against Pittsburgh. Muasau also totaled double-digit stops in games against Arizona State, with 12, and South Alabama, with 10. He was named second-team All-Pac-12 by the league coaches and third-team all-league by Pro Football Focus. Muasau made interceptions against Utah and Stanford during the season and forced a key fourth down fumble in the victory over the Utes.
Muasau, who transferred to UCLA from the University of Hawai'i, was a two-time Mountain West first-team selection while at UH. He appeared in 37 games and made 25 starts while surpassing the 100-tackle mark in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Muasau compiled 61 tackles in 2019 as a freshman.
According to reports, the following Bruins signed free agent deals after the draft -- LB Carl Jones Jr. with Chicago, OL Duke Clemens with Detroit, RB Carson Steele with Kansas City, DL Grayson Murphy with Miami, DL Gabriel Murphy with Minnesota, DB Alex Johnson with the NY Giants, TE Colson Yankoff with the Commanders.