OFFENSIVE TACKLES
Mike McGlinchey, Notre Dame
Game Film Evaluated:
North Carolina State (2017)
LSU (2017)
Georgia (2017)
Analysis: Excellent compact frame with good long arms. Excellent pass protector with good footwork and adequate strength. He seals off the edge and can turn his man in close quarters effectively. Not a mauling type tackle, lacks good power at the initial POA to knock his man off the line. He wins with movement and footwork over strength and leg drive. He bends at the knees and has excellent balance when setting in pass protection. He is patient and allows the rusher to come to him and uses his length to occasionally stop their momentum. He can recover when beaten even against a top prospect like Bradley Chubb at NC State. He can pull but his lack of power gets exposed when trying to hit the moving target. He struggles to stay engaged with athletic defenders in space. He can get into trouble when he tries to attack a pass rusher instead of just letting them come to him. His lack of strength can get exposed in these instances, his hands can then become easily knocked away.
Summary: Mike McGlinchey is a polished pass protecting bookend tackle who is able to handle even the most talented pass rushers in the country. He handled Bradley Chubb effectively despite trying to use a speed rush, inside counter moves or bull rushes. He only got pressure on one snap and that appeared to be due to the QB not throwing the ball as quickly as the play was designed. He moves well and under control in the run game and able to get to the second level. He needs to improve his strength and drive his legs into the defender to generate a push in the run game. At this point, he is a plus pass protector and average in the run game but would do just fine in a primary zone blocking scheme. He can seal off the edge of the hole in the run game but power players are able to stand him up at the line and get zero push. He was able to get push but that was primarily due to double teams with elite prospect Quenton Nelson who lined up next to him with the Irish. He is able to step in as a rookie and get the job done protecting the QB at a high level. His run blocking will need improvement but blindside protectors job is to protect the QB above all else. 1st round grade.
Tyrell Crosby, Oregon
Game Film Evaluated:
Oregon State (2017)
Arizona (2017)
Analysis: Plus athleticism and impressive punch at initial contact. He can get upfield, out in space, pull with ease. Struggles to stay engaged with his defender. He needs to improve his technique, learning good hand placement and consistently driving his man downfield after contact. Poor technique especially in the run game. He needs to keep his hands inside the shoulders of the defender. He will finish his blocks and look to bury his man especially when he gets to the second level and lord help any member of the secondary. He is patient in pass protection, lets his man come to him, has good balance. He can easily keep up with athletic pass rushers, has the strong punch to knock defenders off balance and stop all their momentum. He can handle stunts and twists with ease, recover when beaten.
Summary: Tyrell Crosby has a ways to go in the run game but he is ready to protect a QB’s blindside in the NFL as a rookie. He has all the quickness, footwork, strength and physical style to become a top 10 tackle in the NFL. He needs to work on his technique to polish out the rough edges especially in the run game. He has elite potential but he is not polished enough at this point to warrant an elite grade. First round grade.
Orlando Brown, Oklahoma
Game Film Evaluated:
Texas (2017)
Ohio State (2017)
Georgia (2017)
Analysis: Massive frame with elite arm length and excellent arm strength. He can neutralize defenders once he gets his hands on them. Defenders are unable to get their hands into his body and handle. He keeps defenders at bay with his strength, anchors well. However lacks top quick footwork. He can get caught reaching and bending at the waist. He moves well and able to pull but lacks good balance and struggles to hit the moving target. He needs to improve his technique especially in the run game, his hands get outside on defenders and will get called for holding especially with how strong his hands are. His lack of quickness and footwork was exposed when matched up against Nick Bosa at Ohio State. Brown got caught reaching and not keeping his feet moving fast enough and bending at the waist to try and use his hands to prevent Bosa from getting to the QB. His hand placement in pass protection gets sloppy at times and needs to keep them inside consistently or else he will get penalized despite easily containing his man.
Summary: Orlando Brown is an incredibly big and strong offensive tackle capable of being a plus run blocker and adequate pass protector. He is a power mauling type tackle who can handle any pass rushers bull rush and prevent them from getting their hands into his pads at all. He lacks the top footwork to be able to neutralize the most explosive pass rushers in the world on the left side. This was confirmed by top prospect Nick Bosa who consistently showed he lacks the quick footwork necessary to slide effectively to keep up with top rushers. Brown needs to move to the right side to take advantage of his run blocking and provide him some help limiting snaps against elite speed rushers. He needs to refine his technique keeping his massive hands inside the chest of defenders. He projects best as a right tackle in a run blocking offense that runs more angle blocking. Very good player but he has a few concerning traits that could get exposed in pass protection especially if he stays on the left side. Late 1st round grade.
Connor Williams, Texas
Game Film Evaluated:
USC (2017)
West Virginia (2017)
Maryland (2017)
Analysis: Solid size and moves extremely well. Excellent footwork and gets to the second level with good balance. Needs to get stronger especially in the upper body. He struggles to stay engaged with the pass rusher. Struggles to keep rushers off his body and lacks the strong hands to keep them at bay. Physical blocker and looks to finish his blocks consistently. He will take his man to the ground and past the whistle at times. He can pull effectively, a weapon on screens and can hit the moving target under control and handle them well. Struggles to recover when defenders convert speed to power on him, he gives up too much ground before his feet can recover. He got caught grabbing to keep engaged with defenders and holding penalties increased during 2017 even before he got hurt.
Summary: Connor Williams has the best and quickest footwork on any prospect in the draft. However he lacks the power to become a complete polished tackle prospect. He has good upside to be a top left tackle but has got to add strength especially in his arms and upper body. He struggles to stay engaged with college edge rushers and this will get him beat more often in the pros than it did in college. Once he adds strength to go with his footwork then he will become a top left tackle in the NFL. Until then, he will get by on athleticism and footwork alone which will work against speed rushers. However the best pass rushers in the world are able to bring power and speed which Williams will struggle to handle. He can play left tackle in the NFL as a rookie especially against speed rushers but polished rushers with strong hands will give him fits. Hopefully he can add the necessary strength and become a complete tackle projecting best in a zone blocking scheme but should do fine in either scheme. 2nd round grade.
Martinas Rankins, Mississippi State
Game Film Evaluated:
Texas A&M (2016)
Georgia (2017)
LSU (2017)
Analysis: Adequate quickness and feet. He has a strong frame and strong hands. He is able to get out in space and hit targets. Moves well up field and can get a hat on the second level. Top speed rushers will give him trouble. He fails to keep his feet moving laterally to stay with speed rushers and will start bending at the waist as a result. He has to get his whole body driving into his blocks to generate movement. He shows ability to drive with his feet into defenders and sealing off the edge. Bit of a grabber in pass protection. Myles Garrett was able to beat him consistently with speed. Physical blocker who will fight to the whistle and sticks with his man past the line. He needs to do a better job keeping defenders from getting their hands into his body in pass protection. He has strong hands but tends to grab in the run game and will get caught holding. He can pull effectively and hit a moving target. He needs work with proper hand placement and patience in the passing game. He gets caught over extended and off balance in the pass rush.
Summary: Martinas Rankins is a solid tackle prospect but he may need to make a position change in the NFL. He may not have the length to keep NFL pass rushers off his body at the next level and he lacks the feet necessary to handle elite speed rushers. He has good strength to handle defenders in close quarters, anchor effectively and moves well getting to the second level and pulling. He projects as a left guard in a zone blocking scheme that likes to run the ball a majority of time. He could also be a right tackle but there are serious concerns if he goes to a team that is in shotgun constantly and throws the ball most of the time like Green Bay and New England. Late 2nd round grade as a guard but 3rd round as a tackle.
Joseph Noteboom, TCU
Game Film Evaluated:
Baylor (2016)
SMU (2017)
Analysis: Excellent frame with good length. Above average footwork and adequate quickness. He can get set up in pass protection quickly. Lacks strong hands and good initial punch. Struggles stay engaged with defenders. Needs to be more consistent using his length. Able to get a push in the run game with his length and keeps his feet moving in the run game. Struggles to anchor, he can be knocked back into the QB. Needs to add a lot of strength and improve his technique. Drops his head in the run game and needs to keep his head up and know what he’s going after. Not overly physical style blocker. Doesn’t look to bury his man or block to the whistle. Struggles to keep blockers off his body, they consistently are able to get their hands on him first. Footwork and positioning is adequate but needs to improve the rest of his technique to hold up against NFL rushers. He is able to block down the line effectively, get to the second level and hit the moving target.
Summary: Joseph Noteboom has excellent skillset for the tackle position projecting to the next level. He has the necessary athleticism and footwork necessary for a pass protector. He has got to get to work in the strength and conditioning program to add the hand and core strength so he can handle power rushers he will see on Sundays. The potential is there as an athletic zone type blocking tackle. He won’t be more than a backup tackle until he adds the strength part of his game. He is a better pass protector than run blocker at this point but once he gets his feet involved there is upside for him as a run blocker. He gets good positioning when setting up vs pass rushers but struggles to recover and someone with good technique will own him. 4th round grade with upside but needs 2-3 years as a backup swing tackle type before ready to compete for a starting job.
Kolton Miller, UCLA
Game Film Evaluated:
Utah (2017)
USC (2017)
Stanford (2017)
Analysis: Excellent frame for the tackle position, adequate athleticism and able to get out in space effectively. He has adequate skillset for the position with good length. He gets proper depth when setting up in pass protection, handles speed rushers well. Extremely raw and needs to add strength. Struggles to handle his man once engaged, lacks the strong hands or the footwork to recover when defenders use a good counter move. Power rushers can get under his pads and knock him back into the pocket. He has good athleticism to get into space and hit the moving target. Poor run blocker, lacks strength at the initial POA and gets no rush once engaged. He is able to wall off his defenders. He flashes impressive ability in pass protection and has good patience allowing defenders to come to him.
Summary: Kolton Miller has impressive potential for a offensive tackle that can handle good pass rushers in the NFL. He is not close to ready to compete for a starting job but might be something in a few years. He needs to add core strength and upper body strength to improve his ability to handle defenders once engaged. I would like to see him become more physical and take his blocks to the whistle. He needs to take coaching and work hard in the gym to add the strength necessary for him to compete for a job as a starting tackle. He projects best as a tackle in a zone blocking scheme that wants athleticism from their tackles vs strength and power. I project him as a backup tackle for the few 2 years of his career and then compete for a job if he puts in the work and has the coaching to take his game to the level he is capable of. Late 4th round grade.
Brian O’Neill, Pittsburgh
Game Film Evaluated:
North Carolina State (2017)
Virginia Tech (2017)
Syracuse (2017)
Analysis: Excellent athlete and moves well in space. He can pull and get out in space with ease. He is a project, struggles with his footwork and recover when beaten. Lacks the lower body strength to anchor and Bradley Chubb bull rushed him into the QB. Poor technique, needs to refine his hand placement and work on footwork. He doesn’t attack defenders under control, gets off balance with ease. He would get aggressive in pass protection and over extend himself trying to keep defenders at bay. However it would his hands easily defeated and a polished rusher like Chubb got around him. Needs to keep his feet moving in protection sliding against top rushers.
Summary: Brian O’Neill is a big school sleeper prospect. He has excellent athleticism and able to move with ease. However he doesn’t have elite quick feet. He has good length and good size but not powerful at the POA. Lacks strong hands to stay engaged with power rushers. Poor hand placement and technique to get into proper position. Lacks the quick feet to get set up vs elite speed rushers. All these flaws were exposed vs Bradley Chubb at NC State. He has serious potential but the kid has to take to coaching and work his tail off to improve his technique, footwork and add strength. If he does that, he might be an NFL starter by his 3rd season. Until then, he is a backup tackle and perhaps a swing tackle but he would need help if ever asked to play early in his career. Late 4th round grade.
Timon Parris, Stony Brook
Game Film Evaluated:
South Florida (2017)
Sacred Heart (2016)
Delaware (2016)
Analysis: Good frame, a little bit shorter than most ideal tackle frames. Possess good arm length for the position. Strong hands and able to turn his man with those hands effectively. He flashes effective strong punch at the initial POA. Lacks lower body strength and core strength to anchor effectively, gives up ground from rushers who can convert speed to power. Questionable balance and poor technique in the run game especially. Fails to use his hands properly and attack defenders under control with proper positioning and footwork. He prefers to use his strong hands on its own and gets off balance easily. Ends up on the ground or misses his man when he fails to fire off the ball quickly to beat his man to a gap. Does not move well to the second level nor effective hitting the moving target.
Summary: Timon Parris is a sleeper and project type tackle prospect. He has strong hands and adequate frame with length to suggest he can get better as a pro. He needs to take coaching and work hard to refine his understanding of the position at the next level. Perhaps there is more talent than he showed in college because of the lack of technique to maximize his skillset. The arm strength is impressive and the only game trait that excites me for the next level. It would benefit him to learn on a practice squad or backup tackle on the roster. I don’t think he makes the active roster on game days. If he improves on the things he doesn’t do well, he should very well become a regular contributor as perhaps an above average tackle. He’s got some physical style in his game and think an angle blocking scheme works best for him but has to go to a team with one of the best offensive line coaches to give a chance to develop into something good. Late 4th round grade as a sleeper.
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