Senior Bowl: North Squad Offensive Line Is One To Watch

Today kicks off the annual Under Armour Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama where the top senior players from across the country come out to showcase their skills for NFL scouts. The Senior Bowl is one of the first big steps for players looking to improve their stock leading into April’s draft. Every year, there are winners and losers. The players who go out and impress in practice will generate enormous buzz, while the guys who under perform will find themselves under scrutiny and force scouts to reevaluate and dig deeper into the game.

One of the top groups to watch this year will be the offensive line on the North Squad led by the Cincinnati Bengals coaching staff. The North o-line features top prospects Anthony Costanzo (Boston College), Gabe Carimi (Wisconsin) and Nate Solder (Colorado). Another interesting prospect on the unit will be small school prospect Brandon Fusco from Slippery Rock, who will be looking to prove himself against some of the top players at his position.

Carimi, Costanzo and Solder are the top three rated Senior offensive linemen — each could hear their name called in the first round come April.

With the plethora of scouts in attendance, these three guys will need to prove the rankings are more than just numbers. They’ll need to go out during practice and show their skills earned them their top ratings for a reason. For Fusco, a mid-to-late-round prospect, he will need to prove he can hang with the big dogs.

Carimi is a big, powerful offensive lineman who can use his size to his advantage and do work in the run game. However, many believe that Carimi is best suited for right tackle at the next level and is not a true NFL left tackle. Carimi will need to show his lateral quickness and ability to deal with speed rushers during practice this week. If he struggles, Carimi’s stock will slide as “right tackle only” prospects generally slide in the draft.

Solder is a more athletic lineman who spent the early part of his college career as a tight end. Solder needs to improve on his strength and show that he can get proper leverage with his 6-foot-8 frame when it comes to opposing rushers. Solder still has room to improve, since he hasn’t been playing tackle as long as the others at his position and this is chance to prove he is improving.

Costanzo is perhaps the most technically sound of the bunch. He could look the most impressive during individual drills and look for his toughness to really shine during practices.

For Fusco, many may not know much about him. Fusco is a small school center who has used hard work to drastically improve his size during his collegiate career. He is the recipient of both the Division II Gene Upshaw Award and Rimington Award. He will have the opportunity to showcase his skills on the big stage this week and generate even more buzz around his name.

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