Name: Ethan Pocic
School: LSU
Position fit: Center
Stats to know: No. 3 grade among Power-5 centers in 2016. Played 16 snaps at left tackle and 44 snaps at right tackle in 2016.
What he does best:
- Uses size and strength to control blocks.
- Fires low off the ball, especially for a 6-foot-7 center. Puts him in good position for reach blocks and makes him a good fit for a zone-blocking scheme.
- Good balance getting to the second level and has the ability to lock onto blocks.
- Made some nice plays on pull blocks and screens, good angles on plays.
- Good awareness and understanding of center position.
- Showed ability to block man on man in pass protection from center position. Rarely beaten cleanly right off the snap.
- Held his own during his limited time playing tackle, adding some position versatility to the mix.
Biggest concern:
- Quickness and athletic ability an issue; not great at changing directions.
- Allows defenders to get into his chest from time to time, can get thrown off of block.
- While he’s quick to get into position on his reach blocks, does have some issues sustaining and that led to a few holding penalties.
Bottom line: Pocic does a lot of things well and his ability to make difficult reach blocks make him a fit in any scheme. He’s sound in pass protection and even dabbled at offensive tackle to add some versatility, though he’ll get a shot to stick at center where he looks like one of the best the draft has to offer.
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