ANALYSIS
Positives: Long-limbed athlete with wide hips, big bubble, thick thighs and calves, low body fat and broad shoulders … Well-proportioned with big bones and the frame to carry at least another 20 pounds of bulk … Power-oriented blocker who has developed an aggressive nature … Smooth and sudden coming out of his stance and has above-average lateral range … Maintains balance on the move and is very fluid when having to redirect and recover working in-line … Plays with a flat back and is very effortless unwinding out of his stance … Sometimes, he is late off the ball, but he compensates with his above-average lateral range … Plays with very good leverage and locks on to the defender with force … Has exceptional balance and gets to the collision point instantly when working on the edge in pass protection … Displays the hand punch to immediately shock the defender and is very sudden when redirecting and recovering inside … In 2004, he showed marked improvement in picking up stunts and the edge rush … Also has improved greatly in his ability to chip and land when working in the second level … Shows very good explosion off the snap, getting into the defender with force and suddenness. He is quick to gain advantage, displaying proper knee bend a flat back to unwind out of his stance with ease … Shows the ability to mirror and slide, doing a good job of redirecting … Displays the ability to play over his feet, as he is rarely on the ground, doing a solid job of using his hands to tie up his opponent … Can easily roll his hips, which allows him to generate explosion on contact … Physical striker on the move, doing a nice job of adjusting to recover when beaten … Has the ability to be a very effective cut and reach blocker when he plays with alertness (sometimes gets hesitant, making him look slow to engage) … Has the blend of power and quick feet needed to lock out and get in front on pulls … Possesses impressive lateral range and unwinds out of his stance with ease to clear the rush lanes … Quick to chip and land on his targets when working in the second level … His ability to redirect and suddenly change direction makes him dominate at the collision point … Flashes a strong punch and lock-out ability … He has enough quickness to recoil and recover inside and brings his hands up properly to shock and jolt, especially when on the move.
Negatives: Still works more on instinct and needs to grasp the mental aspect of the game better, but he has made steady progress since moving over to the offense as a freshman … While he plays with good aggression, he is slow to digest plays, at times, making him look sluggish getting off the snap … Struggled in the classroom and does not seem to grasp the mental aspect of the game, compensating with his quickness and power to get the job done … Can get a little sloppy with his blocking angles upon departure, but plays with good leverage to neutralize the defender … Will get a little inconsistent with his punch (takes lazy sets), but he gets to the collision point very effectively … When he does not recognize the defensive scheme, he is slow to engage the defender … Slow with his angle of departure and can be frozen by defensive line games … Will sometimes miss the count and move too early, resulting in costly penalties … Needs to get stronger and more physical in his game … Is prone to overextend in pass protection, especially when facing a double move.