Amini Silatolu

Aminiasi Silatolu (born September 16, 1988) is an American football guard for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He attended and played college football for Midwestern State University from 2010 to 2011. He was selected by the Panthers in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft, with the 40th overall pick.

College career
A dominant Juco offensive tackle at San Joaquin Delta College, in 2009 Silatolu was regarded as a two-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com. He drew interest from Cal, Hawaii, San Jose State, and Tennessee before signing with Nevada, but did not qualify academically. He ended up at Division II Midwestern State, where Silatolu dominated the competition with his aggressive play, and was a two-time All-American in 2010 and 2011. He was selected as the Lone Star Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year both of his seasons at MSU, and in 2011 finished as runner-up in voting for the Gene Upshaw Award, which is presented to the nation's top Division II lineman. He was invited to participate in the 2012 Senior Bowl—the first MSU player to ever receive an invitation—but was unable to play due to an injury.

2012 NFL Draft
Projected as a late-first to second-round prospect, Silatolu was considered one of the top offensive linemen available in the 2012 NFL Draft. He was drafted in the second round with the 40th overall pick by the Carolina Panthers, the first Midwestern State player ever selected in the NFL Draft. He is the highest-selected offensive lineman from Division II since Jermane Mayberry in 1996, and the highest-selected player from the Lone Star Conference since Mayberry. Silatolu, Mayberry, and Gene Upshaw are the only offensive linemen from LSC teams ever selected in the first two rounds.

Personal life
Silatolu is of Tongan descent; his parents, Saia and Lupe Silatolu, immigrated from Tonga to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he was born and raised.