Scouting Reports- T

A-H / I-P / Q-Z

Jah Reid                                                                                                                                Central Florida

    Really big RT who has good length.  Plays with good knee bend but is really slow laterally.  He is slow off the snap and doesn't have much quick twitch ability.  Struggles in pass protection, especially against quick players.  Has good strength and can be effective if he is able to get his hands on the defender.  Really good run blocker when he is asked to crash down or block a guy head up.  Not athletic enough to seal the end.  Is terrible blocking in space due to his lack of athleticism.  Really good at the things he is good at and really poor at the things he is not, so he needs to find a team that matches his strengths in order for him to be successful.

Theo Sherman                                                                                                                     James Madison

    Has decent size and good athleticism.  Could benefit from more bulk but he isn't undersized.  Has quick feet and can run.  Plays too high.  Can get to the second level but isn't real good at blocking in space because he is too high.  Played well against Virginia Tech at the beginning of the season.  Has some tools to work with and could be a developmental type.

Derek Sherrod                                                                                                                        Mississippi St

    Good size with long arms.  Has good athleticism.  Plays with good knee bend and uses his arms well.  Has decent feet.  At times will play a little high and will struggle to anchor.  Every now and then he will get himself overextended or struggle with secondary moves.  All in all he does a solid job.  Decent run blocker who is fairly physical.  Has decent strength.  At times can drive defender down the field.  Can get to the second level.  Has the ability to develop into a good LT but could also play RT if need be.

Jacob Sims                                                                                                                               South Florida

    Has good height and long arms.  Really lacks bulk.  Really lacks foot quickness.  Plays with good hand placement.  Gives good effort.  Finds someone to block and goes after him.  Does a decent job pulling.  Really struggles to get any movement in run blocking because he lacks bulk.  Also struggles to anchor in pass protection.  Is not an elite athlete and really needs to add bulk.  Good college player who might lack the ability needed for the next level.

Mike Smith                                                                                                                                    Nebraska

    Has good height and decent length.  Moves well and has decent athleticism.  Can run some and can get to the second level.  Is thin through the lower body and really lacks bulk and strength.  Really struggles to anchor and doesn't get much movement in run blocking.  Struggles to lock out defenders in pass protection.  Missed this past season with a broken leg.  Has some ability but must get bigger and stronger to be able to contribute on the next level.

Tyron Smith                                                                                                                                            USC

    Has good height and long arms.  Is really athletic and has good feet.  Plays with good knee bend and is quick off the snap.  Really lacks bulk.  Has good strength and anchors pretty well for someone his size but he will still struggle from time to time.  Doesn't always show a good punch and can get lazy with his arms.  Is a good positional blocker.  He can be quick into the defender and is able to get to the second level.  Due to his lack of bulk, he really doesn't get much movement at all in his run blocking.  Gives good effort though.  Athletically is a great fit for LT but doesn't have much experience on that side.  Is really young and is still pretty raw.  Combine that with the fact that he needs to get bigger and he will be learning the left side against NFL players and you can see that there is a good amount of boom or bust.  He will likely be drafted in the middle of round 1 so he won't have the luxury of developing before he is thrown out there.

Willie Smith                                                                                                                             East Carolina

    Has good height and length.  Has pretty good athleticism.  Moves well and has decent feet.  At times will get caught flat footed.  Has good strength but hasn't been able to translate that into his game consistently.  At times he will play with a flat back and blow defenders downfield when run blocking but he typically doesn't get a lot of movement.  Is a former DL and TE and hasn't had a lot of experience at T.  He was a better player this past season than he was the year before.  Has good ability and has gotten better.  Could be a good developmental type who could develop into a solid RT or even a G down the road.

Nate Solder                                                                                                                                     Colorado

    Really tall and long former TE.  Is extremely athletic.  One of the more athletic OL I have seen and he stand 6'8".  Has an enormous wingspan.  Has tremendous feet and is a natural knee bender.  Has inconsistent technique.  Initial drop step isn't outstanding.  Every now and then he will over stride and he will reach for defender.  Will often take poor angles dropping into pass protection and leaves the underneath wide open.  These things make him struggle some with quick defenders but he also struggles against bigger, physical defenders.  He doesn't have a great punch.  Has long arms but doesn't have the strength to lock out defenders and lets them into his body.  He struggles to anchor because he lacks bulk and doesn't always win the leverage battle due to his height.  Inconsistent run blocker who has good speed and can really get out in front of screens and can quickly get to second level.  Lacks strength and often ends up overextending when run blocking.  Boom or bust type.  The positive thing is that he gives good effort and all of his issues are things that can be learned.  If he develops in these areas he will be an elite player but if he doesn't he will end up being overmatched.

Alex Solot                                                                                                                                             UTEP

    Large man with some power.  Is a waist bender and has really slow feet.  Does a lot of grabbing.  Might lack the athleticism needed for the next level.

Mark Starr                                                                                                                                 Colorado St

    Good college player who has good height but could use more bulk.  Gives really good effort and is really productive.  Doesn't have the greatest feet and likely won't be able to play on the left side.  Really lacks bulk and might struggle to anchor on the right side.  Is a decent run blocker but isn't elite.  Really good college player who might not be a good match at any one position in the NFL but is worth bringing to camp.

Byron Stingily                                                                                                                                Louisville

    Has really good size and athletic ability.  Under the radar player who really improved this past season.  Has long arms and plays with good knee bend.  Has started to use his long arms better and has some strength.  Sometimes struggles to stick to defenders on run blocks but at times is really solid.  Team was often able to have success running behind him this past season.  Is not a finished product but has the ability to play on the next level and has been getting better.  His best football might be ahead of him.  Likely will go undrafted but could be a pleasant surprise a couple years down the road.

Brad Thorson                                                                                                                                     Kansas

    Brawler with good size.  Is aggressive and has some power.  Does a decent job turning defenders.  Limited athlete and will struggle in pass protection.  Doesn't have he worst feet in the world but they are average and he has a tendency to stop his feet when he gets engaged with the defender.  He also has a tendency to play too high.  These issues make it hard for him to readjust and makes him struggle against quick defenders to the inside and out.  Could very well get a look at G as well and would be a good fit there but a team will probably try him at RT.

Trevis Turner                                                                                                                    Abilene Christian

    Big guy who has quick feet but struggles laterally.  Plays too high and is a waist bender.  Gets away with it on his level because he is so big and strong but he won't get away with it on the next level.  Could also get a look inside at G.  Has long arms and has some athletic ability.  Might be a little lazy.  Will likely get a chance as an undrafted guy who might be a good developmental prospect.

Jake Vermiglio                                                                                                                 North Carolina St

    Has a good size and strength.  Played LT but is a better fit on the right side.  Has limited athletic ability but rarely ever gave up a sack during his career.  Has slow feet but gets good positioning.  Had drug charge dropped due to a technicality which resulted in a one game suspension this year.  Solid college player who isn't overly athletic but has been productive and will likely be given an opportunity.

Roy Watts                                                                                                                                        Houston

    Has a good frame.  Is really inconsistent due to his technique.  At times has quick feet and decent knee bend.  Other times he bends at the waist and can't stay with anyone.  Could get a look as a developmental type but seems like a longshot.

D.J. Young                                                                                                                                 Michigan St

    Has good height and can run.  Has decent athleticism but really struggles due to lack of bulk and strength.  Really struggles to anchor in pass protection.  Isn't able to stick to defenders in run blocking.  Could also get a look at G but either way he will have to increase his strength and bulk to have a chance.

Lee Ziemba                                                                                                                                        Auburn

    Large man with long arms.  Played LT but looks more like a RT.  Has decent athleticism.  Isn't a consistent knee bender and has average feet but is hard to get around.  Really struggles to redirect so is susceptible to secondary moves.  Doesn't always keep his feet moving.  Is a decent run blocker who has some size and strength.  Is able to get some movement.  Not an elite prospect but is a solid player who could eventually develop into a decent RT in the NFL.