College O-line for 2016 Draft

I am going to try to keep up with the O-line prospects again this year, but no promises. It’s still early in the season so I don’t want to make any definitive proclamation on guys, but here’s my general impression of a couple guys I watched this past weekend…

Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan St. – I’m not sure I saw what all the hype is about. He didn’t appear to be particularly nimble and got his feet crossed resulting in him falling to the ground a couple times (even moving forward trying to get the 2nd level block). He doesn’t seem to have much of an anchor and can be out-muscled at the point of attack. He was completely man-handled on one particular swim move. I think his length (6-6) lends to him losing leverage and he seems to lunge quite a bit. He did have one crushing drive on a down block, but it was because the DT was already engaged with the OG and Conklin lunged and caught him unaware. I just didn’t see many potential pro-starter qualities.

Tyler Johnstone, OT, Oregon – Displayed nice aggression and while perhaps not over-powering was more often than not able to create movement in the run game. Continued through most plays and sought out targets to block. Despite his height (6-6) seemed to be able to drop anchor and absorb strength. He’s adequate manning the outside in college, but I really think he’ll need to be moved to the interior in the pros as I am not certain he’ll be able to go one-on-one with the premier speed rushers on the edge. I want to see more of him, but right now I think he has the base skills to develop into an adequate ZBS OG. But here’s the catch – he has suffered 2 torn ACLs to the same knee within a 7 month span, but recovered from both – although he’ll need a very thorough medical check.

Nice work as always, merc. I recorded this game but haven't had a chance to watch it yet...will be interesting to check out these two players.

So now I am in a bit of a quandary. When I watch college o-linemen, I do so with the thought of projecting them on the Phins’ roster. For instance, given the current ZBS system employed by the Phins, I recognize that traits like mobility may be valued a bit more than raw power. I still try to evaluate players based on their overall talent, but then I try to also comment on whether they would fit Miami’s system. (NOTE: Personally, I’ve always preferred power blocking over the ZBS, but that’s just me.) Over the years, this has been pretty easy to do. Shula ignored scheme fit and sought out the best football performers on the college level. This sometimes worked out (Richmond Webb and Keith Sims) and sometimes didn’t (Billy Milner and Andrew Greene). Jimmy Johnson wanted the strongest, biggest roadgraders he could find to run his power blocking system. Nick Saban didn’t know or care about the o-line considering he only drafted Anthony Alabi (5th) and Joe Toledo (4th) in subsequent drafts. Parcells also wanted big, strong power players, but they had to meet his criteria of certain measureables (height, weight, 225lb lifts) and come from big school programs.

So what’s the problem? Well, unless things turn around drastically, I am pretty convinced Philbin is a goner. Will the Phins replace him with another coach who runs a West Coast offense with ZBS (in hopes of maintaining continuity for Ryan Tannehill) or will they swing back to power running game? Your guess is as good as mine. So do I evaluate players with an eye for what the current staff wants or do I try to project what a future coach may want (or maybe what I would want the Phins to do)? Anyways, these thought may interest no one but me, but I thought I should put them out there as they may influence my thoughts as I watch prospective o-line players.

Dominick Jackson, OT, Alabama – This one is easy. I don’t think he’ll be successful in any scheme on the NFL level. I don’t want to be too harsh considering its one game and he’s not that highly of a touted prospect to begin with, but this guy is a very slow-footed plugger with almost no read/react ability. He loses leverage, can’t generate movement and has difficulty breaking down to target blockers on the second level (when he arrives their almost always late). Not much else to say.

Aaron Morris, OG, Ole Miss – Considering the way Ole Miss seemingly made wholesale shifts on the o-line during this game (platooning 1st and 2nd team in and out) it was hard to get a solid read. Overall, I thought he showed the base level of skills to develop. He held his blocks well and created movement on drive blocks. I suspect he is more of a developmental prospect for a power blocking team, but I want to see more before making a final assessment. He’s someone definitely worth checking on again later in the season.

Remember, Merc, you don't have to think in terms of Zone because this group of coaches is gone at the end of this season, as you mentioned above

Just let us know who your best prospects are.  There is one thing that Parcells did say that I liked.  As the year goes on, fast guys slow down, but big guys are still big. The Dolphins sorely need a nasty, tough, aggressive offensive line that will challenge the Jets and the Bills. We have NOT kept up with our division in that regard, and we may end up being in a serious hole by Week 8 because of it.

mercury22nathan wrote:So what’s the problem? Well, unless things turn around drastically, I am pretty convinced Philbin is a goner. Will the Phins replace him with another coach who runs a West Coast offense with ZBS (in hopes of maintaining continuity for Ryan Tannehill) or will they swing back to power running game? Your guess is as good as mine. So do I evaluate players with an eye for what the current staff wants or do I try to project what a future coach may want (or maybe what I would want the Phins to do)? Anyways, these thought may interest no one but me, but I thought I should put them out there as they may influence my thoughts as I watch prospective o-line players.

Great food for thought. Given Tannehill's skillset, a more traditional WCO (more like the current Packers or old Broncos teams) might be a good fit. That would still involve a ZBS, but those teams have/had much more physical running games than we do. This Chip Kelly-Bill Lazor hybrid is nothing but a fad that attempts to deceive defenses rather than beat them, and teams around the league have caught onto it. I think we go back to basics with a true WCO and a power-based ZBS (not an oxymoron - again, look to the Pack and old Broncos for examples of what I mean). BUT...who the hell knows what's gonna happen!

Regardless, merc, please keep doing what you do - these observations on O-linemen are awesome.

mercury22nathan wrote:Aaron Morris, OG, Ole Miss – Considering the way Ole Miss seemingly made wholesale shifts on the o-line during this game (platooning 1st and 2nd team in and out) it was hard to get a solid read.  Overall, I thought he showed the base level of skills to develop.  He held his blocks well and created movement on drive blocks.  I suspect he is more of a developmental prospect for a power blocking team, but I want to see more before making a final assessment.  He’s someone definitely worth checking on again later in the season.

Don't check this guy out when they play Memphis, because the Memphis D is so abysmally awful that he'll wind up completely skewing the perception of how good he really is by looking like a surefire HOFer.

316, i always consider level of competition and always look for competitive match-ups when selecting which games to watch.  i did watch Morris again briefly this weekend, but since it was against Vanderbilt, i won't consider it in my evaluation.  but here is what i did see this weekend...

Lene Maiava, OT, Arizona – So here is the first player that I’ve seen so far in this young season to make me think there might be something here worth following.  He displayed excellent strength at the point of attack and generated movement on several plays.  He was able to keep his pads under the defender and maintain leverage.  He displayed a better than average ability to get to the second level and deliver an effective block.  His kick slide on pass protection was clean and he not only sealed off pass rushers, but eliminated them from the play more often than not.  I’m not certain his lateral ability is fluid enough for the left side in the pros, but he certainly presents enough skill to lineup as a RT.  

Max Tuerk, C, USC – Another guy that I don’t get all the hype.  This guy gets a lot of accolades and is very often mentioned as the best center in the country despite being undersized.  I just didn’t see.  While he wasn't a complete liability, neither was he an asset.  He was bull rushed easily and didn’t seem to have the strength to maintain the line of scrimmage.  He seemed too often to resort to grappling as he didn’t have the ability to hold his ground or maintain leverage.  He didn’t generate any push in the run game.  I think he’s an undersized, college over-achiever that will get exposed by the big boys on the next level.

Arizona St., who played USC, has 3 potential prospects on their o-line, but i didn't get a conclusive feeling, so i'm not writing anything about them yet.

Hey Merc, ever heard of Ben Muth from Football Outsiders? You two REALLY need to get acquainted.

I'm interested in Joshua Garnett from Stanford. I think Miami is in desperate need of a LG. Garnett can be a zone blocker or a road grader! He warrants a look in round two. Dallas Thomas has got to go!