Trio of Bruins Selected on Final Day of 2025 NFL Draft
April 26, 2025 | Football, Bruin Varsity Club
GREEN BAY, Wisc. โ Linebacker Kain Medrano, defensive lineman Jay Toia, and tight end Moliki Matavao of the UCLA football team were all selected Saturday on the third and final day of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Paired with Friday's picks โ which saw linebacker Carson Schwesinger and edge rusher Oluwafemi Oladejo go in the second round โ UCLA had five players selected overall in this year's draft. The five picks were the Bruins' most since 2022, and tied for the second-most of any draft for the program over the last nine years.
Medrano was the first Bruin off the board on Saturday, going in the sixth round โ No. 205 overall โ to the Washington Commanders. He's the first UCLA player drafted by the Washington franchise since Fabian Moreau in 2017.
Toia was the opening selection of the seventh round, No. 217 overall, by Dallas. Matavao was the final Bruin picked, going No. 248 overall in the seventh round to New Orleans. He was the first UCLA player drafted by the Saints since Rodney Leisle in 2004.
Medrano spent six seasons at UCLA from 2019-24, ascending into a starting role in 2023 and becoming a team captain for the 2024 campaign. The Pueblo, Colo. native accrued 196 tackles (123-73-196) as a Bruin with 21.5 tackles for loss (TFLs), 3.5 sacks, three interceptions, five forced fumbles, and two fumbles recovered. Medrano was an All-Pac-12 honorable mention in 2023 after ranking second on the UCLA defense with 56 tackles. He was then a Third Team All-Big Ten honoree this past season after accruing a career-high 72 tackles over 12 games. He also paced the Bruins with three forced fumbles last season, and had a critical 38-yard pick-six interception at Nebraska on Nov. 2, 2024.
A veteran of 50 games over four years at UCLA, Toia was a linchpin in some of the top rush defenses in the country during his time in a Bruin uniform. He totaled 91 tackles (53-38-81) for the Bruins, including 10 TFLs, and anchored the Bruins to the No. 2 national rush defense in 2023 (80.8 yards per game) and the No. 6 rush defense in 2024 (96.2 yards per game). Toia was voted Team MVP at the squad's postseason banquet in 2024, and was an All-Big Ten honorable mention.
Matavao started 22 games and played in 50 over four seasons at UCLA (2023-24) and Oregon (2021-22). He paced the Bruins in receptions (41) and receiving yards (506) this past season, registering at least one catch in all 11 of the games he played. His top performance was an eight-catch, 120-yard game against Fresno State on Nov. 30. Matavao was an All-Pac-12 honorable mention in 2023 after leading the Bruins with a 20.2 yards per catch ratio.
