On April 25, the 2024 NFL draft will be held in Detroit. The opportunity to present the different prospects in more detail through new thematic articles, the “Prototype”. The idea is simple: identify the perfect prospect, with the main quality of each player entered in the draft. Today, we bring together the tackles, guards and centers, with the best offensive lineman merged.
Technique / Upper body: Joe Alt
If there is one fact that makes Joe Alt a player already very popular, it is his precision in duels, on the ground as well as on the pro pass. The former Notre Dame tight end was able to perfect the positioning of his upper body and especially the placement of his hands to systematically be one step ahead of his opponent. Qualities which have allowed him to concede only one sack over the last two years at Notre Dame and to make him one of the references in the first university division, despite an apprenticeship position. It will take a serious range of movements to hope to catch the person concerned.
Speed / Lateral Mobility: Olu Fashanu
Many tackles represent very exciting projects ahead of this draft. But few with athletic potential like that of Olu Fashanu. Launched into the deep end at the demanding Penn State University in his first year, the Maryland native showed off his explosiveness from snap to dominate in a conference adept at trench warfare. Certainly, his technique can be improved, particularly in terms of managing the center of gravity, but with zero sacks and even zero hits recorded in 2023, he is an athletic gem who just needs to be shaped in the hands of a good coaching staff. .
Power: Taliese Fuaga
If you don't know Taliese Fuaga yet, it's only a matter of time. Because although Oregon State is not usually a program as high profile as others, the Beavers and their offense were transported by the XXL season of their right tackle. Each duel against this pretty 150 kilo baby is a real battle, both in pass protection (zero sacks allowed in a university career) and in the running game, where he is a real bulldozer in motion. A prototype that should fully flourish on a strong ground game, as we often see in the league.
Balance/Anchor Point: Jackson Powers-Johnson
Small but annoying. Arriving on tiptoe in the quintet of the Oregon offensive line, “JPJ” demonstrated that he was a true force of nature. It must be said that he deals with an extremely important asset for a center: anchoring to the ground. From the start, the Duck knows how to bend the knees and stabilize itself to transmit all the force from the lower limbs to the upper limbs. In three years in Eugene, he was a real brick wall, with no sacks allowed under his watch.
Fluidity of movement / stall: Christian Haynes
He's not THE most prominent player on the board, but if a franchise is looking for a player who excels in his field, Haynes has the arguments to hit the mark. Relatively “small” for the guard position, and not necessarily the most armed on the professional pass, Haynes is a deterrent in the ground game thanks to his explosiveness from the snap and his ability to win and free up impressive spaces on the second curtain. Again, in a training focused mainly on the ground game, he should not miss playing time in his first year.
Responsiveness: Zach Frazier
Let it be said: this class of linemen is deeper than it seems. Zach Frazier is a great example of this. Without being an exceptional athlete, with a perfect size for the professional level, the West Virginia center is a true leader of men, cut out for the constant battle in the trenches but also capable of feeling the game like few others. other prospects in this class. His profile should appeal to many fans of his future formation, due to his ability to distribute tackles from nowhere to give time to his quarterback and space to his runners.
