HOPES CHICAGO IS FOG-FREE TONIGHT
Today we continue our series of Q&As with reporters who covered the Eagles' draft picks in college.
Next up is Oregon offensive lineman Fenuki Tupou, who the Birds picked up with one of their fifth-round picks.
Rich Hofmann of the Daily News wrote about Tupuo in a column today.
We caught up with John Hunt, who covers Oregon for The Oregonian.
Q: What were Tupou's strengths at Oregon?
A: He was an excellent pass blocker, thanks to his immense size, good footwork and long arms, although he is probably more suited to right tackle in the NFL. He physically wore down and intimidated some opponents.
Q: What might he need to work on at the next level?
A: Tupou took a few plays off - the same could have been said for Haloti Ngata when he was at Oregon, too. As we all know, that doesn't cut it in the NFL, and Tupou will have to be more consistent. He also needs to be a tougher run blocker and keep working on his agility.
Q: Can you offer some details on the incident that landed Tupou a one-game suspension in 2008?
A: He said he accepted a free lunch and $100 from a sports agent, who vehemently denied Tupou's account. According to Tupou, the agent slipped him five $20 bills and he tried several times to return the money.
Editor's Note: Hofmann wrote extensively about this topic in the column.
Q: What was Tupou's personality like? Did he have a good relationship with teammates, coaches and the media?
A: Fenuki was very quiet and respectful - a bit of a gentle giant. Never a go-to quote, he was always pleasant to talk with from a media perspective. He was fairly popular on the team, mostly with hanging with his Polynesian friends.
Q: What was Tupou's standout moment at Oregon?
He had highlight-reel blocks against Washington State last season and Michigan a year earlier, but his best work came in El Paso when he totally shut down South Florida's heralded defensive end George Selvie in the 2007 Sun Bowl.
Below are highlights from Tupuo's career at Oregon.
