Laken Tomlinson, OG - 28th overall pick

Laken Tomlinson, Duke, #77

Height	Weight	Arm	Hand	10 Yd	40 Yd	Bench	Vertical	Broad	3-Cone	Shuttle	60 Yd Shuttle
6-3	323	33 5/8	10 1/8	1.86	5.33	25	31.5	103	8.17	4.87

Game Film Evaluated:

Pittsburgh (2014)

Miami (2014)

Pros: Moves down the line effectively. Extremely broad and wide body. Gets a good push in run game, must keep his feet moving. He can get out in space and hit a moving target effectively. He is a weapon in space once he gets his hands on someone. Has a good feel for turning his man and setting the edge. Used on pulls and he consistently can hit his target. Better pass blocker than run blocker. Slides and picks up stunts with ease, takes bull rush in stride and doesn’t give an inch.

Cons: Needs to improve his technique and bend at his knees versus the waist. Not the most smooth athlete in space. Doesn’t have quick feet, heavy legged.

Senior Bowl Report: Mayock praised Duke guard Laken Tomlinson (6-3, 323), who might be the first player at his position taken in the draft. "He's a starting guard in the NFL all day long," Mayock said. He also said Tomlinson is a "road grader in the running game. And he's a better pass protector than people think." Duke hasn't had a player selected earlier than the fourth round since 1999; Tomlinson should change that this year. Perhaps the most consistently good looking OL in drill work was LAKEN TOMLINSON/OG #77. Talking about talented big men from Duke is a relatively new phenomenon, but TOMLINSON is the real deal. He’s a nice combination of size, strength and athleticism. He won almost all of his one-on-one battles. I expect that success to continue. Tomlinson and Havenstein have really impressed scouts with their technical skills and awareness this week. Each player has shined in drills, despite facing some of the toughest run stoppers and pass rushers in the country. Part of their success can be attributed to their solid understanding of their respective games, which allows them to minimize their weaknesses by using clever tricks at the point of attack. Tomlinson, in particular, has been terrific working in tight quarters, utilizing a short set and quick punch to stone rushers in their tracks in one-on-one drills. In addition, he has shown the ability to anchor against power and protect the middle of the pocket to keep rushers out of the quarterback's face. Along the interior, Duke's Laken Tomlinson enjoyed the most impressive performance on Wednesday. Tomlinson, 6-3, 323 pounds has good initial quickness and lateral agility in pass protection, as well as impressive flexibility to anchor against bull rushers. Most people believe Washington defensive tackle Danny Shelton will be the highest draft pick among prospects at the Senior Bowl. As such, he is considered the measuring stick for players during practice, and Duke guard Laken Tomlinson has seemingly drawn the most reps against him. While Tomlinson has not been perfect, he's probably been the best of any of the interior linemen in handling Shelton during one-on-ones. Tomlinson, however, was far from the only star on Day 2. The most-watched matchup this week in the trenches was undoubtedly the one-on-ones between possible top-10 pick Danny Sheltonand Duke guard Laken Tomlinson. Tomlinson has handled Shelton the best of anybody on the North team and certainly has respect for the guy lining up against him. "He's a really physical cat, really low center of gravity," Tomlinson said of Shelton. "He's just a tough kid to block, honestly. That's why he's the best matchup here." The Duke guard has been a fast-riser this whole weekand put on yet another show in the one-on-one drills that you couldn't help but notice. He establishes such a good base and is so fundamentally sound that defensive linemen who don't have a plan to beat him often find themselves on the ground or well past the pocket. Even opposing defensive linemen unanimously said after practice that Tomlinson was the toughest player they faced among the North squad's offensive linemen. The scouting report I had heard coming into this week was that Tomlinson is a good player with heavy feet. However, I thought his feet were more than quick enough when I watched him in practices. Plus, he accepted the challenge of going up against Shelton, the consensus top player at the Senior Bowl, and Tomlinson had no problem dealing with Shelton. In fact, Tomlinson acquitted himself quite nicely when matched up against him. The former Duke guard is a big, strong, forceful interior lineman with a good hand punch. I think he helped himself as much as any prospect at the Senior Bowl. If he didn't consistently hold up well in blocking drills and team work, Tomlinson would have earned high marks anyway for his character. Two teams we spoke with said he nailed his interviews with them, giving them the belief that he'll be a set-and-forget starter at guard for the better part of a decade. Defensive lineman Danny Shelton got him once or twice, but Tomlinson held up very well all week. (From GBN Draft Report)

Summary: Played RG at Duke. Tomlinson is a big bodied interior guard only who will control his man with ease and start in the NFL for 10 years at a high level. The fact he was able to control the immovable Danny Shelton of Washington at the Senior Bowl showed his ability to handle the big nasties in the trenches. He is not an elite big man athlete but he gets the job done in space and inside. He does not project a great deal of versatility but does his job well. I project Tomlinson as a late 2^nd round left guard prospect who fits best in an angle blocking scheme and will start as a rookie.