Jesse Mahelona grew up in Kailua-Kona, a town in Hawaii with a population of just 25,000. He attended Kealakehe high school where he was a four sport athlete, excelling at football, soccer, basketball, and paddling. He played defensive end and defensive tackle as a junior and defensive tackle and fullback as a senior. Jesse was a two-time first team all-state defensive lineman who recorded over 100 tackles and 11 sacks as a senior. Upon graduation, Mahelona left Hawaii and headed for California where he played Junior College football for Orange Coast College. He made an instant impact as a freshman, racking up 73 tackles and 7 sacks his first year. He managed to pick up 16 tackles and 3 ½ sacks as a sophomore even though he only played two games due to a broken ankle he suffered. After that season, Mahelona was widely considered to be the #1 JUCO prospect available at the defensive tackle position. He transferred to the University of Tennessee in December of 2003 and earned a starting position on their defensive line by the spring of 2004. Once again he made an instant impact, totaling 42 tackles and 5 sacks, leading the SEC in tackles for loss with 18 ½ , on his way to All-SEC honors despite battling knee and shoulder injuries throughout the season. Jesse Mahelona entered the 2005 season as one of the best defensive players in college football and one of the best tackle prospects for the 2006 NFL draft.

Jesse Mahelona lacks ideal size for an NFL defensive tackle, but he makes up for his lack of size by combining tremendous strength with the athleticism of a defensive end. He has a quick first step which allows him to beat most offensive linemen off the snap of the ball. He is very strong at the point of attack and gets good penetration into the backfield. His speed gives him the ability to chase running backs down from behind in the backfield. He isn’t the biggest defensive tackle, but his strength gives him the ability to fight through double teams. He plays every down as though it were his last and leaves everything on the field. He is a very hard worker who is never satisfied with his play and is always striving for continuous improvement. Durability could be a concern for some NFL scouts. He missed the majority of the 2003 season with a broken ankle and battled through knee and shoulder injuries during the 2004 season. He has proven to be an excellent leader and a person of extremely high character. He has the potential to play either defensive tackle in a 4-3 or defensive end in a 3-4 defensive scheme and should be one of the top defensive linemen available in the 2006 NFL draft.