Viliami “Junior” Fehoko has never played a regular-season snap in the NFL. But two years in and three franchises deep hasn’t stopped him from showing up.
On Monday, the Bay Area native landed with the San Francisco 49ers, the latest stop in a league that has tested him at every turn.
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Fehoko was born in Stanford, California and grew up in East Palo Alto before starring as a tight end at Saint Francis High School in nearby Mountain View.
Just as the 49ers are known to have a deep organization family culture (along with the warts that pop up), family shaped Fehoko from the jump.
Fehoko’s leaned on six sisters, a half-brother, his parents and what he calls his “1,000 cousins” throughout his career and shares blood with Buccaneers Super Bowl champion Vita Vea, his second cousin. Fehoko also drew inspiration from Polynesian standouts like Troy Polamalu growing up.
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Even at the height of his draft buzz, Fehoko stayed grounded. Asked what it would mean to land with his hometown 49ers, he shrugged off the spotlight and pointed to the work: whatever team took him, he said, they were getting a fierce competitor.
San Jose State converted Fehoko from tight end to defensive end as a true freshman in 2018 and the move paid off.
With Fehoko’s speed, power and relentlessness, he became a three-time first-team All-Mountain West pick and the 2022 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, finishing with 191 tackles, 46 tackles for loss and 23 sacks.
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When Dallas drafted him in the fourth round in 2023, then head coach Brent Brennan didn’t hide his pride.
“This is incredible for Junior, his family and our program,” Brennan said then. “A local kid who chose to come to San Jose State to pursue his education and chase his NFL dream and that’s exactly what he’s done.”
The NFL has given Fehoko little since. A knee injury shelved his Cowboys rookie year. Dallas waived him before year two and stints with Washington and Indianapolis ended without a single regular-season appearance.
San Francisco now becomes his third organization, signing the 26-year-old defensive lineman to a one-year deal and releasing tight end Josiah Deguara to make room.
It’s not yet a storybook homecoming so much as another door Fehoko has to kick down — the way he always has and the way Sparta has always known him.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – AUGUST 24: Viliami Fehoko #93 of the Dallas Cowboys walks off the field after a preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers at AT&T Stadium on August 24, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images) | Getty Images
