Hercules Mata’afa departs the Washington State Cougars as one of the most decorated defensive players in program history. After racking up 22.5 tackles for loss (fourth nationally, most in the Pac-12, and a school record) and 10.5 sacks (eighth nationally and most in the Pac-12), the fourth-year junior was named a consensus all-American, the Associated Press Pac-12 defensive player of the year, and all-Pac-12 first team.
At a lot of schools, that kind of production would mean the player is a lock for the first round of the NFL Draft. At WSU, where players don’t come with five-star pedigrees, it just means there are more questions about how it will translate to the next level.