The Packers have just signed another young interior defender by the name of Aiulua Fanene. The Arizona tackle, standing 6’5 and weighing 303 pounds, started his first year of college football in 2011 playing in 10 games and racking up 8 tackles.
Following his first year, Fanene took two years off to serve on a two year mission. In 2014, Fanene was added to the active roster but only saw action in three games being called inconsistent.
His 2015 campaign, Fanene returned to form and was played in all 11 games, primarily in short yardage and goal line situations, as well as special teams.
Physically, Fanene lacks nothing. His height and weight already make him one of the largest defenders on the team but with a 5.07 40 and 35 reps on the bench, the combination of size, speed, and strength make it a bit of a mystery that he went this long without finding a team.
As a final note, it’s worth mentioning that dimensionally, Fanene is very similar in size to Letroy Guion. Although still on the team, many feel it’s simply a matter of time before Guion is let go.
With Montravious Adams out for 6 or more weeks (Also similar in size), it makes sense to try to find a player to fill that role.
Fanene will likely be competing with Izaah Lundsford and Ricky-Jean Francois for the role of “big fat guy in the middle”.
Either way, welcome to the team Aiulua…