Here are my notes on November 6 Daft on Draft episode with Cory Kinnan and James Foster where they scouted 9 offensive tackles, and it was a really good reminder of how messy offensive line evals actually are ...
Spencer Fano was the most interesting discussion for me. James said he didn’t see many outright disasters in pass pro, but he was clearly disappointed with the run blocking. He had previously grouped Fano with elite run blockers like Tyler Linderbaum and Penei Sewell, and this year’s tape just doesn’t live up to that billing. Linebackers can knock him back when they get a runway, and his anchor isn’t special. The concern is that his frame may not allow for a lot more weight, so that anchor issue could stick in the NFL. That said, his feet are outstanding. Cory and James both talked about how strong his outside hand is and how well he guides rushers with it. And when he pulls, it honestly looks like he teleports—94th percentile acceleration, 86th percentile top speed, and it absolutely shows on film. Great athlete, but power rushers are going to be a real test.
Caleb Lomu got some love, especially after the Cincinnati game. Cory admitted he was worried about spacing and core strength during summer scouting, but he’s become much more bullish after this season. The spacing issues—mostly oversetting—seem to have been cleaned up, and interestingly James pointed out that last year’s oversetting actually showed off Lomu’s ability to redirect. Now that he’s calmer in his sets, everything looks smoother. Cory also thought he was stiff in the knees last year, which has noticeably improved. Big arms (estimated around 34 inches), good hands both years, and like Fano, his worst tape came against Texas Tech.
Kaden Proctor was the definition of “roller coaster.” James said the tape is just too up and down—great against Tennessee, rough against South Carolina. Cory straight up has him as a guard on his board. He’s explosive, but the problem is redirectability. He basically gets one choice per rep, and if he oversets, it’s over. God help him if he guesses wrong.
Francis (CC) Mauigoa was one of the more nuanced evals. Cory thinks he’s very good but probably maxes out at guard, where his explosiveness, grip strength, and anchor really shine. His set depth is shallow, his outside shoulder can get softened, and his redirect ability is average. But the hands are clean, the punch is clean, and his grip strength might be the best in the class. He’s a road grader in the run game with a naturally low center of gravity. James said his view of Mauigoa changed from last year to this year—last year the anchor was just okay and inside moves gave him problems; this year the anchor is very good and the oversetting issues have largely disappeared. Both agree he’s a high-impact guard with a real chance to survive at tackle.
Isaiah World is one of those “if only” guys. Great size, great movement skills in space, but his hands are a disaster. He loses way too many reps because of it, even at the college level. James said his anchor is slightly below NFL standards and hasn’t improved year over year. If his hands ever catch up, he’s a top-10 talent. As it stands, they’re a massive limiter.
Blake Miller sparked one of the best debates on the pod. James loves him—didn’t love him in summer scouting, but now sees a Day 2 guy with first-round upside. He’s got 35-inch arms, high-end athleticism, ridiculous pulls, and elite deceleration. They both pointed to a screen against Duke where he looked absurdly fluid. He’s explosive into contact and solid with his hands in the run game, but… he falls down constantly. He gets too far over his skis. In pass pro, James loved his firm punch, hand variety, and ability to counter forklift and long-arm moves. Cory agreed on the athleticism but strongly disagreed on the hands, calling them soft and poorly placed. Cory sees a guy who can seal lanes but not displace defenders and thinks he’s firmly Day 2. Both agree the balance issues are real; James just thinks Miller’s hand fighting does more to mitigate his leverage problems than Cory gives him credit for.
Caleb Tiernan didn’t fare as well. Cory thinks he’s tall, stiff, and too easily worked through the chest. Foot speed is average, redirectability is average, and James added that his run blocking against UCLA was a nightmare. Both have him as a fourth- or fifth-rounder, though positional scarcity could push him into the third.
Niki Prongos was another split eval. Cory originally worried about his set depth but felt better after the Miami tape. He likes the frame and movement skills, but thought Rueben Bain got the best of him with a quick club-rip win. Cory thinks his feet are good and his run-game pacing is solid; James was more disappointed, saying he looked unsure of assignments at times. Arm length estimates varied pretty widely between them. Cory is a little higher overall and even floated a late first-round ceiling, though Day 2 feels much more realistic.
Finally, Gennings Dunker… Cory did not mince words. Nothing about him screams anything but Day 3. He’s the worst tackle in the class at getting depth, the hands are below average, and he’s simply not playable in NFL pass protection. The one saving grace is that he’s a legitimately good outside-zone run blocker and a plus in the run game overall. But if you can’t protect the quarterback, that ceiling is pretty hard.
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