6’5” – 305 lbs. – 5.29
Experienced four-year starter: started nine of twelve games played as a freshman and has been with the first team ever since, one game of his junior year notwithstanding. Will enter the draft with forty-eight starts under his belt. Well-built for an interior lineman, with solid height and bulk and arms which measured 33” at the Combine. Chippy, physical player who works through the whistle and sometimes even afterward. Not the most athletic guard, but was asked to do some blocking on angles, pull to the left side of the formation, and also get out in front of screens. Can look a little bit plodding but also does a pretty good job of hitting moving targets within his range and can overpower them at the point of contact; reliably able to get blocks near the line of scrimmage as the pull guard, although he’s not a major threat to climb up to the second level and eliminate linebackers. Impressive functional strength (28 reps on the bench in Indianapolis). Can block down on the outside shoulder and push interior linemen into the middle of the formation to create rushing lanes. Has a pretty strong grip once locked on and demonstrates good leg drive once engaged. Nasty and loves to finish his snaps by picking up a pancake. Alert in pass protection, scanning and searching for ways to get involved on the snap. Pass sets look pretty good. Is capable of bending at the knees and generally plays within his frame. Has a pretty powerful shove that can knock opponents off-balance; gets his hands high instead of catching opponents. Looks comfortable absorbing power; solid anchor against the bull-rush. Has controlled footwork but isn’t the most laterally quick guard; teams would probably have better luck going around him instead of through him. Some minor balance issues crop up in pass protection but they didn’t seem to affect the results of his play during the games reviewed. Can struggle to successfully block second-level opponents in the screen game. A very physical, powerful offensive guard who plays with the type of nastiness teams look for in their offensive linemen, he may not be one of the best athletes in this year’s offensive line class but proved that he could execute some pulls and play in a zone-blocking scheme at the college level. Looks like a solid mid-rounder.
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