Daniel Faalele is an Australian professional American football player for the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL.
He was drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft and is the heaviest player in league weighing a whopping 172kg!
But who is Daniel Faalele? And how did he wind up in the NFL?
In this Daniel Faalele guide…
Daniel Faalele Quick Facts
Name: Daniel Faalele
Age: 22
DoB: 9 November 2022
Nationality: Australian
Birthplace: Melbourne, Victoria
Height: 6 feet 8 inches / 203 cm
Weight: 27 stone 1 lb / 172 kg
NFL Team: Baltimore Ravens
Position: Offensive Tackle
Contract: $905,085 (2023 NFL Season)
Instagram: @daniel.faalele
Daniel Faalele’s Early Life
Daniel Faalele was born in Melbourne on 9 November 1999 to a Samoan Mother and a Tongan father. His father is supposedly 6 feet 4 inches and weighs upwards of 290 pounds, which goes some way to explaining where Daniel got his gigantic genes from!
Faalele played basketball and was also a standout rugby player growing up. During a game, he was scouted by a member of the University of Hawaii coaching staff, who was looking for American football prospects in Australia.
He attended a camp in the USA run by football coach, Jim Harbaugh and caught the attention of division I schools, later transferring to IMG Academy in Florida. This is despite not really knowing the rules of the game.
Telling ESPN in 2018, “I didn’t know what a first down was or anything, I didn’t know the positions or what roles they played.”
He revealed that playing Madden actually helped to accelerate his knowledge of the game, and it clearly worked, with his school going undefeated. Faalele was also invited to play in the 2018 Under-Armour All-America, the high-school equivalent to the all-star game.
Daniel Faalele’s College Career
After his emergence in high school, Daniel Faalele received offers to play for Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, LSU and Michigan. However, in a surprise decision, he ended up committing to the University of Minnesota.
IMG Academy’s Manager of Football Properties Don Zoloty said that given Daniel Faalele was so far away from home already, having a “support system” already in place formed a “major part” of his decision. His teammates from the school Zack Annexstad and Curtis Dunlap Jr. had already committed to the university.
Faalele was at Minnesota for four season, but only played three, opting out of his junior year during the 2020 season because of the Covid-19 pandemic
In his sophomore year, he was a first-team all-Big Ten player for a Golden Gophers team that went 11-2. He started 31 out of 31 games with Minnestota, who went 23-11 over that time span.
In his final college game, he scored his first career touchdown with a two-yard run up the middle against West Virginia in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.
Professional Career
In the 2022 NFL draft, Daniel Faalele was taken in the fourth round with the No. 110 overall pick by the Baltimore Ravens.
At the beginning of the season Faalele was largely seen as a project – someone to build up slowly in their debut season. But an injury to Patrick Mekari meant Faalele was thrust into the team at left tackle, a position he never played before, in only the second game of the season.
Playing against the New England Patriots, Faalele started off slow, but found his rhythm as the game went on, the Ravens defeating the Patriots 37-26.
After the game, Baltimore’s 2019 MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson complimented the Aussie saying, “Shout out to Faalele because he stepped up major.”
Since then, he has played every game for the Ravens, even starting in a 20-23 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
It is shaping up to be a successful rookie season for the young Australian.
How heavy is Daniel Faalele?
The offensive tackle stands at six feet and eight inches and weighs a ridiculous 384lbs (172kg). This makes him the heaviest active player currently in the whole NFL.
When comparing his weight to the heaviest players in NFL history, Faalele currently sits in fifth of all time, one in front of NFL legend William ‘The Refrigerator’ Perry.
| Player | Years Active | Weight |
| Aaron Gibson | 1999-2004 | 410lbs (185kg) |
| Terrell Brown | 2013 | 403lbs (182kg) |
| Nate Newton | 1986–1999 | 401lbs (181kg) |
| Bryant McKinnie | 2002-2013 | 386lbs (175kg) |
| Daniel Faalele | 2022-present | 384lbs (172kg) |
Daniel Faalele’s Salary
Daniel Faalele signed a deal with the Baltimore Ravens worth $4,460,339 (AU $6,876,928) over four years.
This means for the 2022-23 NFL season the young Australian will be paid $905,085 (AU $1,395,455). Not bad for a 22-year-old!
Daniel Faalele’s Girlfriend
Daniel Faalele is currently dating American Brianna Montgomery. The pair have been dating since Faalele was at the University of Minnesota.
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