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BeaversEdge Top 25 for 2019: No. 8 Elu Aydon

In the months of June and July, BeaversEdge.com will be counting down the top 25 Oregon State football players on the 2019 roster.

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No. 99 Elu Aydon

Bio

6-foot-3, 385 pounds

Defensive Tackle

Senior

Leone, American Samoa

Leone HS

Career Quick Hits

- Enters the 2019 season with 74 tackles in 33 career games, including seven starts.

- Has Tallied 7 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks

2018 stats

- Played in 11 games, totaling 37 tackles with 4.5 for a loss and half a sack.

- Added a blocked kick against Colorado

- Posted a season-best eight tackles in the season finale versus Oregon

- Totaled 1.5 tackles for loss against Washington

- Finished with five tackles, including half for a loss, with the blocked kick at Colorado

- Recorded half a sack at Nevada

2018 Recap 

While Oregon State's defense as a whole had a really bad 2018, Elu Aydon quietly had his best season in the orange and black.

Aydon played in 11 games, tallying 37 tackles, 4.5 for loss, and half a sack en-route to being Oregon State's highest rated defender (Per Pro Football Focus) in 2018. Additionally, Aydon's season run defense grade was 80.9, which was 10th best in the Pac-12 of all defensive linemen.

While Aydon was only on the field about a third of the time, his impact on the game was felt as he was one of the few defensive lineman capable of making a difference last season.

Despite having the size and talent to be an impact player on the defensive line, Aydon has struggled with staying in good playing shape during his time in Corvallis, logging no more than 38.6 percent (2018) of the defenses total snaps in his three seasons.

Aydon's top game of the season according to Pro Football Focus was the Washington game. He recorded a 78.1 single game grade and had three tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss against the Huskies.

Given that Aydon displayed a newfound sense of leadership and urgency in the spring, it's not a stretch to think that he's primed for a really big senior season.

2019 Outlook

With Oregon State needing vast improvement on the defensive line to have a chance at defensive success in 2019, Aydon is a guy who's going to be counted on as a difference maker when he's on the field.

Aydon's 37 tackles last season were most of the Beavers' defensive linemen, despite not playing as many snaps as Isaac Hodgins and Lamone Williams.

Oregon State needs Aydon to be in the best playing shape of his life this season in order to make meaningful strides on the defensive line, and if spring was any indication, it's a challenge that Aydon is up for.

Whether it was being more vocal in huddles, more engaged and talkative during and in-between plays, mentoring the young lineman, or simply handling the media like a seasoned vet, Aydon has shown that he's ready to make his senior season count.

BeaversEdge Top 25 for 2019 Archive

No. 9 Jake Luton

No. 10 Jalen Moore

No. 11 David Morris

No. 12 Isaiah Dunn

No. 13 Andrzej Hughes-Murray

No. 14 Jeromy Reichner

No. 15 Issac Hodgins

No. 16 Kaleb Hayes

No. 17 Tristan Gebbia

No. 18 Tyjon Lindsey

No. 19 Noah Togiai

No. 20 Avery Roberts

No. 21 Shemar Smith

No. 22 Nathan Eldridge

No. 23 Matthew Tago

No. 24 Shawn Wilson

No. 25 Jaydon Grant

Honorable Mentions

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