Five things about Dallas Cowboys seventh-round pick Jay Toia
The Dallas Cowboys took their second straight lineman when they selected UCLA’s Jay Toia with the No. 217 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Toia figures to help the team as a traditional run-stuffing tackle.
Here’s what to know about the former Bruin.
Athletics runs in his genes
Both of his brothers, Siaki Ika and Abitoni, are athletes, with the former playing for the Cleveland Browns and the latter a rugby player in Australia.
Grew up abroad
Toia attended Grace Brethren High School in Simi Valley, Calif., but grew up in Tonga, a country of more than 170 islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Big Ten Honors
Toia earned an honorable mention All-Big 10 selection after finishing the season with 25 tackles, two tackles for loss, a pass defended and one sack.
COVID-19 led Toia to UCLA
Initially committed to USC, Toia practiced with the Trojans in the spring before transferring to UCLA and explained that because of COVID-19 restrictions, he hadn’t been able to visit UCLA or other schools on his short list.
High school recruitment
Toia was a four-star recruit out of Grace Brethren and had offers from Michigan, Utah, UCLA, Miami and USC.
This story was originally published April 26, 2025 at 5:24 PM.
