A look at top prospects by position - this thread - Interior Offensive Linemen: 1 Chris Lindstrom Boston College IOL 2 Garrett Bradbury NC State IOL 3 Michael Deiter Wisconsin IOL 4 Dru Samia Oklahoma IOL 5 Elgton Jenkins Mississippi State IOL More can be added by request - or feel free to post your own players.
Chris Lindstrom SCHOOL: Boston College CONFERENCE: ACC HT: 6’4 WT: 305 lbs D.O.B.: N/A Via Sports-Reference: https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/chris-lindstrom-1.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Draft Network https://thedraftnetwork.com/2019/01/05/2019-nfl-draft-player-profile-chris-lindstrom/ LEDYARD "Pass Protection – Should be noted BC is a run-heavy offense with a lot of play-action, rollouts and non-traditional pass plays, which limits the evaluation of Lindstrom as a true pass protector on an island by himself. When he was in those situations, showed an excellent anchor against power and the quick feet to mirror moves to his edge by more athletic interior defensive linemen. POA Run Blocking – Fires off the ball low and looks to create movement. Leg drive and pad level are excellent, consistently displaces opponents on vertical blocking schemes and doesn’t fall off contact often. Will look to finish, but doesn’t get sloppy with his technique, keeping his eyes up and hips engaged to drive through opponents. As a zone blocker, somewhat limited in reaching more explosive techniques, but does a great job to use his hands savvily to inhibit the lateral progress of his assignment. Functional Strength – Excellent functional strength. Never manhandled 1v1 and consistently able to win first contact and maintain his blocks with grip strength. Frame appears to be equally powerful from upper to lower half. Can gain/maintain control of defenders even when off-balance for a second. Pass Pro Footwork – Sets up quickly out of his stance, building his house with a strong base. Needs to make sure he keeps his feet active when working in more space as a pass protector. Boston College tight splits and quick passing game limited concerns in this way. Pass sets look clean, but doesn’t get the same number of traditional sets as other offensive linemen due to BC run-heavy scheme and simple arial attack. Strike Timing/Placement -Does a good job fitting his hands inside in pass protection, showing good strikes that stymie upfield progress. Even when he is caught a bit high by a bull rush, can typically fend off his opponent and not give much ground. Does a terrific job staying on contact when a defender gets to his edge, running them up the arc and past the quarterback. When his hands miss in the run game, does a good job to re-set quickly and find leverage points. Leverage – Fires off low in the run game, but with eyes up. Creates movement with leveraged hands and leg drive. Does a solid job using his leverage to create torque and seal defenders out of gaps. Can arrive at the second level a bit high. Space Blocking – Moves well to all levels of the field. Good at selling a pass set, delaying a beat and then releasing at full speed to the second level. Can you have nice burst as an offensive lineman? Well, Lindstrom does. Could stand to be more under control and come to balance a little better at the second level. Better angles would help too. Works hard to adjust to his opponent’s movement and get at least a piece of him. Competitive Toughness – Wouldn’t describe him as a mauler, but absolutely brings it physically and will keep his legs running through contact to drive opponents off the ball. Full intensity every snap and does look to finish a decent amount of the time. Will look for work when uncovered in pass protection. Mental Processing – Very good at keeping his eyes active and picking up late blitzers. Didn’t see him challenged a ton with twists, but when he was, handled it mostly flawlessly. Smart player who processes quickly and can make adjustments on the fly. Athleticism/Size – Maybe a little short-armed, but nothing to be concerned about size-wise. Pro-ready build that doesn’t appear to need much development. Not an elite athlete for the position, but a good one for sure. BEST TRAIT – Hand Usage/Strikes WORST TRAIT – Zone Blocking RED FLAGS – None I’ve watched a good bit of Lindstrom tape over the past two years, and there really isn’t much to dislike. He has no major flaws in his game, is extremely consistent in his approach and has the experience needed to make an easy transition to the NFL. Few guards offer his combination of size, movement skills and technique, as Lindstrom rarely loses any 1v1 battles and consistently creates movement in the run game. He may not be an elite prospect, but Lindstrom looks like an immediate starter with enough scheme versatility to work for almost any NFL team." CRABBS "Functional Athleticism – Quick as hell out the blocks. Really sudden in his efforts to climb the ladder. Short area mobility is another plus trait and shows good range in his protection role to cover ground. Can improve his results by gearing down sooner on the second level and not overrunning blocks. Football IQ – Quick transitions and has a good feel for when they’re trying to snooker him at the LOS and draw him out of position. Heady to feel where late arriving pressure is coming from and like his effort to keep eyes up and active in protection. Anchor Ability – Has dropped a late anchor on a few occasions but issues stem from getting caught without his hands, not functional strength. Has ample lower body power and can absorb rushes with his legs effectively. Does well to bend through the knees and sink the hips. Hand Technique – Active hands, does well to not marry himself to the idea of first available strike. Will time his efforts well to land a blow and then work to reset himself inside on the numbers. Hands, like feet, are more quick than anything, offering recovery ability on a poor initial challenge. Balance – Fast to flow and fluid, a natural athlete in space who does well to stay within his means when engaged with defenders as well. Little issue peeling pack and picking off a late gap shooter. Can get a little over-eager on 2nd level, gear down and trust your angle! Pass Sets –Implemented in a lot of slide protections and also tasked with pulls in pass pro to influence eyes of LBs in play action passing. Has notched a few kills by playing as late to arrive help when left unoccupied. Feet are light and gets into short sets well out of his stance. Flexibility –Little issue with keeping himself low and balanced, even on pulls. Pad level stays down at the LOS when firing forward and has success at first contact to roll coiled hips through contact and transfer power through the lower half. Clean hinges to smoothly pull in lead blocks. Power at POA – Pushes people around but in a unique sense. Plays more with a sense of urgency and wins with quickness rather than swallowing up defenders at the point of attack with raw power. That said? Generates ample push and movement. Length/Extension – Has a smaller strike zone with his hands on account of sub-par length. Issues with length are mitigated thanks to short area quickness and lateral agility, assuring he can stay framed properly and be in front of his man at the LOS. Competitive Toughness – Has no shortage of functional strength and plays with the needed toughness to win gaps effectively. Has success banging against head up defenders at the snap, so won’t be a liability against certain fronts or personnel groups. BEST TRAIT – Functional Athleticism WORST TRAIT – Length/Extension BEST FILM – Miami (2018) WORST FILM – Clemson (2018) RED FLAGS – None Chris Lindstrom translates as a scheme friendly iOL who can step into a starting role immediately thanks to his polish and experience at the college level. Lindstrom is a quick-footed blocker who excels at the snap, he would be best served in a system that allows their OL to win positioning (gap/power concepts) as compared to asking him to steer defenders at the LOS. Lindstrom has experience at OT and in emergencies he has functional ATH to play in spurts." MARINO "Entering his fourth year as a starter for the Eagles, Lindstrom has played both guard and tackle but he projects inside in the NFL. A second-team All-ACC selection in 2017, Lindstrom is a big reason why BC has featured such prolific rushing attacks in recent years. Lindstrom is an aggressive run blocker that does well to fit his hands, leverage his hips and accelerate his feet to drive opponents out of gaps and create space. Once his hands are fit, Lindstrom showcases impressive grip strength to sustain his blocks and he is an excellent finisher. Lindstrom has outstanding play strength throughout his frame and has the upside of a high impact run blocker in the NFL. In space, Lindstrom does well to lead block into gaps and is mostly successful connecting with moving targets at the second level/perimeter. Lindstrom finds work when uncovered and executes aggressively. As a pass blocker, Lindstrom has a stout anchor and works into his sets with good balance, posture and body control. With that said, there are times when his feet lag behind when he’s hip to hip with opponents and needs to be more committed to staying square. Most of those issues on film show up when he’s playing outside at tackle. Building on his strengths should lead to a productive senior season and opportunity to start early in his NFL career." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Draft Wire https://draftwire.usatoday.com/2019/01/20/2019-senior-bowl-preview-offensive-line/4/ "OG Chris Lindstrom | Boston College Chris Lindstrom is a four-year starter, where he played in 50 games for the Eagles. In pass protection, he uses his hands to keep defenders at bay and has the finesse to knock rushers off balance. He is comfortable playing in the phone booth and is able to generate power or movement in tight spaces. Lindstrom’s calling card is his great upper-body power and hand strength. He locks on and controls the movements the defenders with his arms. Lindstrom does a nice job gaining initial power advantage and getting movement out of the hole, and off the line. I expect a big week from Lindstrom and firmly believe that he could be the best interior offensive lineman. He has all the tools to be a plug and play guard in the NFL." -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Garrett Bradbury SCHOOL: North Carolina State CONFERENCE: ACC HT: 6’3 WT: 300 lbs D.O.B.: 6/20/1995 Via Sports-Reference: https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/garrett-bradbury-1.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Draft Network https://thedraftnetwork.com/2018/12/24/2019-nfl-draft-player-profile-garrett-bradbury/ MARINO "Run Blocking – A true technician that is intentional about playing with leverage, body positioning and hand placement. Highly effective taking advantage of blocking angles and working combo blocks. Finds leverage points and does well to exploit them but isn’t necessarily a consistent people mover in drive block situations. Does well to maximize his play strength by playing with consistently sound technique and timing. Pass Blocking – Takes consistent pass sets and effectively frames rushers. Has excellent foot speed which enables him to stay square and mirror rushers. Keeps rushers at the end of his reach with a usually well-timed and located punch. Highly effective help blocker when uncovered. Blocking in Space – Glides through space and climbs to the second level with great timing. Comes to balance extremely well, frames his target and seals. Is effective leading off-tackle on account of his mobility and body control that leads to consistently connecting with moving targets. Power – Knows how to play with leverage and technique to maximize his frame to generate power. Anchors well but has to work overtime against good speed to power converters. Works hard to finish and his ability to remain square enables him to sustain blocks. Will not regularly uproot defensive lineman out of their gap and create space. IQ – Alert, smart and attentive to diagnosing pressure packages and knows how to respond. Executes with precise timing and understands his role in relationship to the play concept. Committed technician and assignment-driven in his approach. Switched from tight end to center in 2015 and has adapted rapidly. Gives consistent effort and looks for work through the whistle. Feet – Light and nimble on his feet. Springy change of direction skills and is highly effective moving laterally. Reach blocks 3-techniques with rare consistency. Does well to keep feet moving through contact and never gets flat footed. Hands – Punch is compact, efficient and effective. Timing and location of his punch is excellent. Dedicated to fitting his hands and knows how to reestablishing his hand fits if he gets swiped. Rarely gets too wide with his placement. Balance – Works into his pass sets with good control and width in his base. Has no issues redirecting his weight and sliding laterally. Absorbs contact well enough and is capable of dropping a late anchor. Showcases outstanding body control on the move and when reaching his landmarks in space.Operates with excellent posture and body control. Versatility – Can likely function at any interior offensive line spot but his best fit comes at center. Snap to step speed is excellent. Projects most favorably to a zone blocking speed that takes advantage of his lateral mobility and is less demanding on play strength. BEST TRAIT – Body Control WORST TRAIT – Play Strength RED FLAGS – None Bradbury came to NC State as a tight end recruit and leaves as an outstanding NFL interior offensive line prospect. His technical refinement and consistency is even more impressive considering the relative newness to his position. Given his lateral mobility and proven success in the Wolfpack’s zone blocking run scheme, he projects most favorably to the same role in the NFL. Bradbury’s range as a blocker will be major asset to him and his NFL offense. By year three, Bradburry has the upside to become a solid starter that is primed to sign a lucrative second contract." CRABBS "Functional Athleticism – Lateral mobility is terrific. Shows excellent range along the line of scrimmage and is quick to climb the ladder and challenge LBs. Capable of shifting and sliding in the pocket in an effort to account for blitzing defenders late. Football IQ – Has had a handful of snafus with snaps, put one over QBs head in one game and premature snap on the road on road vs. Clemson. Can be late to identify blitzes and as a result tests his lateral quickness to get over and pick up a rusher. Anchor Ability – Soft. Gets bubbled back in run reps by tackles when hooking, which can disrupt the back’s press into the LOS. Lack of length is problematic in stunning interior rushers and forces him to catch a lot of rushes with his chest, giving ground. Hand Technique – Quick hands out of his stance, makes conscious effort to set the hook in the run game and win leverage with his hands to transition into leverage. Will chase bodies in protection at times and extend his shoulders out over his toes. Carries hands ready to strike. Balance – Excellent body control. The only times he’s in effective and off kilter is when he’s getting bubbled back and collapsed in the pocket. Even when he overextends, he’s able to slide and ride out defenders with his feet and shows good recovery balance. Pass Sets – Likable foot cadence to gain depth out of his snaps and angle into an assistance role in the pocket. Has a bit of a soft anchor and as a result struggles to gain his footing against head up nose tackles in protection. Most effective in slide protection. Flexibility – Has wonderful range of motion through his hips to hinge and/or work over the top of reach blocks on outside zone concepts. Shows good hip drop in efforts to sink and absorb power rushes. Effective to peel his base back across momentum. Power at POA – Finesse blocker. Effective in lateral situations and fully capable of steering defenders with his hips and hands, but isn’t going to drive anyone off the line of scrimmage. Has good foot action to try to sustain forward momentum and positive framing. Length/Extension – Notable lack of extension. Is able to mask with good lateral mobility and foot quickness but struggles to stay framed vs. defenders with momentum on account of lack of influence and strike zone. Optimizes what he has, but will get stacked by interior defenders in the run game. Competitive Toughness – Effort is terrific. Has good results in long reach blocks thanks to hustle, short area quickness and second effort. Physical play strength is adequate but not an asset, nor is his ability to drop the hips and absorb power rushes in one on ones. BEST TRAIT – Flexibility WORST TRAIT – Anchor Ability BEST FILM – Virginia (2018) WORST FILM – Clemson (2018) RED FLAGS – None Garrett Bradbury projects as a potential starting center in a zone rushing offense. Bradbury will have his hands full in looks that require him to handle interior defenders on his own due to a soft anchor, but in reps as a help blocker in pass protection and against even fronts he can be much more effective. Bradbury showcases excellent lateral range as a blocker and will be a scheme specific prospect whose success will be reliant on being put in favorable situations." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Draft Wire https://draftwire.usatoday.com/2019/01/20/2019-senior-bowl-preview-offensive-line/2/ "OC Garrett Bradbury | North Carolina State Bradbury is a converted tight end, making the switch in 2015 after redshirting in 2014. He played 51 games for the Wolfpack. Bradbury won the prestigious Remington Trophy in 2018, which is given annually to the nation’s top center. Bradbury is an ideal fit in a zone blocking system. He thrives blocking on the move and adjusting blocks while working laterally. He’s got the quickness to work up multiple levels and get to the second level in position to cut off linebacker’s impact. Bradbury’s football intelligence can’t be questioned. He has the aptitude to make the line calls, identify blitzes, and put himself in position to pick up the stunts. The one thing that I’d like to see how Bradbury does is going up against some of the most power defensive tackles. At times, he struggled against strength in pass protection." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Deiter SCHOOL: Wisconsin CONFERENCE: Big10 HT: 6-6 WT: 310/321 lbs D.O.B.: Not Available Via Sports-Reference: https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/michael-deiter-1.html --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Draft Network https://thedraftnetwork.com/2018/12/24/2019-nfl-draft-player-profile-michael-deiter/ CRABBS "Functional Athleticism – Ample mobility for a player of his stature. Free mover with his feet, has the effective ability to break down in space and square up a block. Wonderful skills as a puller, can hinge or fold out of stance clean and generate push with good pad level contacting in space. Football IQ – Experienced starter who has been exposed to playing center, tackle and guard during his time with the team. Has effectively handled role each season, so will bring quality to a team as an insurance policy for depth. Processes twists and stunts well. Anchor Ability – Sneaky anchor, because mobility would have you assume he’s light in the trunk. Anchor skills are terrific on the interior, has been exposed in the past playing at Tackle and trying to compensate for speed off the edge. Balanced base that yields consistency and quality anchor. Hand Technique – Sticky hands that latch onto the chest of defenders on the second level. Successfully latches on in lateral/stretch scenarios and shows good discipline to not work outside the numbers and open himself for flags. Comfortable using one arm to minimize length issues. Balance – Base along the line of scrimmage, as a puller and climbing to the second level are strong. Doesn’t play outside of his means and hips are capable of dropping to gear down and square up a block. Strong functional strength, provided feet are established on the floor. Pass Sets – Much more comfortable and effective on the inside vs. 2017 season (spent at LT). Lateral mobility is a key strength and when not tasked to take deep vertical pass sets shows balance, control and good cadence with his feet to play with feet anchored to the ground. Flexibility – Clean hinges to turn and peel back to pick off a shooting defender off his hip. Pulls are smooth, fluid and natural. Plays with leverage not just shooting out of a three point stance but also climbing to the second level. Has needed drop in the anchor to sit down and hold ground. Power at POA – Second level bully. Mobility and light feet allow for a notable secondary push after first contact and playing through momentum of first strike. Capable of yanking defenders out of gaps with his hands and manipulating the POA in zone concepts to create a lane. Length/Extension – Does not have a great deal of length, the ultimate barrier preventing a long term shot at playing Tackle. Length issues do show up against speed, as his awareness in lack of length forces him to compensate and compromise base, which can negatively effect balance. Competitive Toughness – Attractive blend of physicality, mobility and blue collar effort level. Will uproot and plays through the finish, often carrying defenders into the ground and burying them in the running game. Plays with good pop in the hands and necessary functional strength. BEST TRAIT – Functional Athleticism WORST TRAIT – Length/Extension BEST FILM – Nebraska (2018) WORST FILM – Ohio State (2017) RED FLAGS – None Michael Deiter is a scheme diverse prospect who will bring a diverse set of tools to whichever NFL franchise drafts him. Deiter has excellent mobility and his play in space allows him to be a lead blocker on boundary plays and screens. Deiter has the needed anchor and mass to hold his ground in one on one situations and has the lateral mobility to be an effective interior pass protector, despite a lack of length to consistently land strikes first against defenders." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dru Samia SCHOOL: Oklahoma CONFERENCE: Big 12 HT: 6’5 WT: 297 lbs D.O.B.: N/A Via Sports-Reference: https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/dru-samia-1.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Draft Network https://thedraftnetwork.com/2018/12/11/2019-nfl-draft-play-profile-dru-samia/ LEDYARD "Pass Protection – NFL teams may have some issue with his stance at times, but it seems to work for him so well I’m not sure I would mess with it. If power rushes are the way to beat him as a smaller offensive lineman, I haven’t seen it work. Anchors with a strong based and terrific core strength. Able to mirror counters with terrific movement skills and good hand placement. How many quality pass rushers did he face this year? Not many, probably even less 1v1. Pass rushers with quick, violent hands were the only ones who seemed to get around him. POA Run Blocking – Oklahoma runs a lot of zone or counters/pin-pull concepts, so Samia is not asked to be a true vertical blocker very often. Not a mauler at the point of attack, but savvy with his technique and hand placement to gain ideal position and seal off lanes. Big 12 level of defensive line talent needs to be taken into consideration here. Functional Strength – Not the biggest or strongest offensive lineman, and there are instances of power players moving him a bit on the interior. Despite his impressive functional strength due to technique and ability to find leverage points, I do worry about what happens against some of the big, long defensive linemen in NFL. Matchup with Raekwon Davis should tell us a lot. Pass Pro Footwork – Quick setups to establish half-man as needed. Often uncovered, so will have to quickly move laterally to pick up twisters, showing excellent fluidity and balance. Base is strong, almost never on the ground or thrown off his base. Couple times I noticed him stop his feet and get beat by a secondary move, which may be more of an awareness issue than anything else. Strike Timing/Placement – Attention to detail to find leverage points and displace opponents ever so savvily, without disarming power, is impressive. Under control and times his strikes well in pass protection. Despite lack of size, haven’t seen him overpowered much by opposing bull rushes. Lack of size and length are concerning for landing meaningful strikes against long-levered defenders in NFL. Quick with his hands to counter and swat down his opponent’s punch with a trap move. Leverage – Plays with excellent knee bend and leveraged hands. Consistently the low man in 1v1 exchanges, allowing him to create movement that his smaller frame otherwise wouldn’t be able to. Digs low on double teams to uproot his opponent, maximizing his traits by attacking leverage points. Space Blocking – One of the best pulling offensive linemen in the country. Consistently explosive out of his stance and under control when reaching his target. Reacts beautifully to his opponent’s technique, countering with ideal hand placement and body positioning to seal off rush lanes. Good balance and agility to adjust angle on the move. Rare movement skills to chase upfield-bursting edge defenders past the play when pulling. Able to work down to the second level and reach defenders, but can get a little hung up on first level contact, delaying his arrival downfield. An asset in space on the screen game. Competitive Toughness – No issues here. Not a big-time finisher, but plays with an edge and embraces the physicality of the game. Works hard to create extra movement. Mental Processing – Active eyes to find late blitzers or pick up twists. Consistently looked for help when uncovered. Adjusted fluidly to his target when on the move as a blocker, especially pulling. Had no issues executing his assignments, even against late shifts of the defensive front. Athleticism/Size – Elite athlete for an offensive lineman, but his weigh-in will be a concern. If he hits 300 pounds, that’s a huge win, but I’m not sure I see that in the cards for him. BEST TRAIT – Space Blocking WORST TRAIT – Size/Length RED FLAGS – None A four-year starter at Oklahoma who locked down the right tackle spot as a true freshman before moving to guard for his final three seasons, Samia is one of the smallest guards in the class, but his size is rarely an issue on tape. Highly athletic and extremely technical, Samia uses rare explosiveness and the ability to find leverage points to surprise his opponents, maneuvering them out of gaps in the run game with ease. Of course, the NFL will provide a different level of defensive line talent than he faced in the Big 12, especially as pass rushers. Where Samia was often uncovered at the snap or had to deal primarily with bull rushes or defenders twisting inside off of a game, in the NFL he’ll face more complicated rush plans and superior athletes. How he fares against Alabama in the playoffs and at the Senior Bowl will be huge, but right now Samia looks like a lock to come off the board early in day two." KELLY "PROS: Excellent mobility and vision as a puller, brings a pop with excellent hat placement. Plays with a nastiness and looks to finish his blocks and dominate with power as a run blocker and puller. Good, solid initial drive with a strong base and heavy feet. Mobility allows him to work up to second level on combo blocks. Can reach blocker and gains proper amount of depth. Can swing his hips around to keep frame between defender and the hole. Powerful player. Good kick step with awareness, looks for work and has the speed to work onto other blitzers. CONS: Despite mobility, doesn’t have great lateral quickness and can be a half-step behind defensive lineman who have a quick first-step. Questionable zone blocker and doesn’t necessarily drive defenders when he can’t attack them squarely. Can occasionally get swung around off-balance because of his inability to move laterally and attack squarely." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Draft Wire https://draftwire.usatoday.com/2019/01/20/2019-senior-bowl-preview-offensive-line/9/ "By: Gavino Borquez | January 20, 2019 6:41 pm ET OG Dru Samia | Oklahoma Having logged 52 games, starting 48 for the Sooners, Samia was the anchor to the best offensive line in college football 2018. Despite the lack of size, he is powerful guard who has the play strength and explosiveness needed to play at the next level. He is an effective puller and is very good at blocking at the second level and latching onto defenders. Samia is a technician in pass pro and as a run blocker, displaying violent hands with the understanding how to properly use them. The Big-12 didn’t offer an ideal amount of powerful interior defensive linemen, so the Senior Bowl will be a great test to see how he goes up against some of those." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
