NFL Free Agency: Redskins sign OG Salesi Uatefe, another former AAF player

The Redskins made two signings official, and both of them are castoffs from the now defunct Alliance of American Football. The signing of OLB Andrew Arkush has already been reported, but Washington officially announced it yesterday. They also signed guard Salesi Uatefe, who played for the Utah Stallions.

Salesi played college football at Utah. Uhatafe played in all 52 games in his last four seasons after a redshirt freshman year. He was named a Second-Team All-Pac-12 offensive lineman his senior season.

Uhatafe was undrafted in 2018, and the Atlanta Falcons signed him as a free agent before getting cut. He was also briefly on the Detroit Lions’ and Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squads.

NFL.com draft profile:

Strengths

• Has thick-boned frame that carries natural anchor
• Able to withstand and absorb power
• Tough to move
• Attacks blockers with early arm extension
• Has upper body power to pack some pop in initial contact
• Generates decent push in double teams
• Has enough lateral quickness to handle inside zone duties
• Protects with sturdy edges that are difficult to play through

Weaknesses

• Rarely latches into opponents with his hands
• Unable to sustain and has a poor finishing rate
• Lacks baseline fluidity to get from block to block with consistency
• Struggles to handle move blocks
• Unable to bend and unlock his hips
• Drive blocking comes from upper body rather than lower body
• Needs better awareness and peripheral vision in pass pro
• Waist-bender
• Reactive athleticism isn’t there