Fresno State OG Netane Muti ranks as top interior lineman despite injuries

Three.

That’s the total number of pressures Fresno State guard Netane Muti has allowed in 193 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

But therein lies the challenge with the junior. Frankly, 193 pass-blocking attempts isn’t a huge sample size, but it’s all evaluators are going to get this season as Muti has seen yet another year cut short due to injury.

After playing the first three games, Muti suffered a Lisfranc foot injury that required surgery.

When he’s played, though, Muti has dominated. At 6-foot-3, 307-pounds, he started 14 games as a redshirt freshman in 2017 but has only played in five games since then. Muti’s 2018 season ended after the team’s second game due to a ruptured Achilles injury.

As for that redshirt freshman season? He missed that campaign due to a similar injury.

Therefore, Muti is technically still a junior, plus he could seek out a medical hardship.

But he’s done enough in a limited amount of time that draft analysts still peg him as a Day 2-type of talent.

To underscore that point, Muti is the top interior lineman – ahead of Wisconsin’s Tyler Biadasz and Oklahoma’s Creed Humphrey – in PFF’s latest positional rankings.

Because of his injury history, though, Muti is unlikely to be drafted ahead of those players. Things might have been different had his one healthy season been this year instead of his redshirt freshman year.

All of this factors into the round he’s drafted and what team he goes to.

“I think a lot of this is team and situational specific,” said Fanspeak co-founder and On the Clock draft simulator Steve Shoup. “If you are a contender and there is a player who you feel can help you that year or the next couple of seasons during your window, then I’d weigh the injury less. It might still be a slight factor, but not enough to drastically alter when I’d draft a player with a serious injury history.

“Now if you are a team that isn’t really a strong contender, you have to weigh more heavily the long-term impact a player could have,” Shoup said. “In that case I would be more hesitant to draft someone in the top 3 rounds who is questionable to play the full length of the rookie deal.”

Mythical Being: Netane Muti

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— Fresno State Football (@FresnoStateFB) August 17, 2018