A Look At 2018 Draft Prospect Scott Quessenberry As A Potential Selection By The Detroit Lions
What Scott Quessenberry Brings To The NFL
Scott Quessenberry is a solid center for any team looking for a potential contributor to their pass protection in the fourth round. His footwork is really good for an interior offensive lineman in this range, which aids in his above average resetting ability when he loses the initial hand fight.
While Quessenberry brings more to the pass blocking side of the game, he has shown some promise in the running game. While he does not have the speed to make long pulls around the edge, he can create some holes on quick pulls to over-aggressive linebackers. He does a good job keeping his hips underneath him and torquing his hips to turn defenders away from the ball-carrier.
He is quick to recognize where blitzes are coming from and feeling for interior stunts. But, he does need to pass off his first defender quicker against stunts. There were times where he left easy paths to the quarterback as a result of hanging with the clearout defender too long against stunts.
What Quessenberry Must Improve To Be Successful In The NFL
The very first thing he must fix is the head bob he has a half second before he snaps the ball. Opposing NFL teams will pick up on that quickly on film or in-game and could put the whole offensive line at a disadvantage. Anticipating the snap is a big component to who wins on the line of scrimmage. Speed rushers and quick penetrating interior defenders can cause him to completely whiff at times. Needs to work on engaging first punch sooner to slow these defenders before they cross his face and not after like he did at UCLA.
However, he will definitely be one of the better pass protectors available early on day three of the draft. In the running game, Quessenberry needs to focus on getting his pad level down. With his hand placement being high and wide at times against the run, it emphasizes the need for him to stay low to be able to maintain leverage at the point of attack. If he can work on refining the technical side to his game, Quessenberry could be a solid to above average starter in the NFL in the future, with the ability to improve pass protection for teams with weaker interior offensive lines.
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