Faalele was born on 9 November 1999 in Melbourne, Victoria, to a Samoan father and Tongan mother.[2][3] According to a 2017 USA Today article, his father was 6'4" (1.94 m) tall, weighing 290 pounds (131 kg).[4] Faalele played basketball and rugby union as a youth[5] until a member of the coaching staff of the University of Hawaiʻi football team discovered him while scouting players in Australia.[6]
Faalele played in 10 games as a true freshman, starting the final eight games of the season at right tackle and was named honourable mention All-Big Ten Conference.[10] Following the season, he was listed as one of Australia's 50 Greatest Living Athletes by GQ Australia.[11] Faalele started 11 games at right tackle and was again named honorable mention All-Big Ten as a sophomore.[12] As a junior in 2020, Faalele opted out of the season due to the COVID-19 crisis. Despite projections that Faalele would enter the 2021 NFL draft, he decided to stay with Minnesota for his senior year.[13] On 28 December 2021, in his final college game, he scored his first career touchdown in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl against West Virginia, with a two-yard run up the middle.[14]
Faalele was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round, 110th overall, of the 2022 NFL draft.[18] At 174 kilograms (384 lb), Faalele became the heaviest rostered player in the NFL.[19] As a rookie, he appeared in 16 games and made one start.[20]