John Theus, OT, Georgia: 2016 NFL Draft Scouting Report

There may be no more prized commodity on offense outside of a quarterback than a left tackle. Does John Theus of Georgia belong on the short list of top prospects? His 2016 NFL draft scouting report will offer answers.

Position: OT

School: Georgia

Year: Senior

Height: 6’6″

Weight: 303 lbs

History:

Part of one of the most dominant high school teams in recent Florida memory as his Bolles School won two state titles in a three-year span. A five-star recruit according to most, he was highly sought by many schools but chose Georgia. He was a Freshman All-American in 2012, but had to battle for his starting job the next season. As a junior he was moved to left tackle where he remained the rest of his college career and furthered their tradition for great running games.

STRENGTHS:

• Size is an obvious benefit. Hard to move with any sort of power rush and has good length to go along with it.
• When he uses his hands right, defenders have a hard time getting past in him in passing situations.
• Shows good awareness for picking up stunts and blitzes. Able to disengage one block and shift into another.
• Effective at gaining inside position on run plays, allowing him to maneuver defenders out of the way.

WEAKNESSES:

• Not the most nimble athlete. Lacks the explosive kick step, which allows faster pass rushers a chance to get around him on the edge.

Florida was not a good game for Theus as their faster rushers on the edge really made him struggle. This play is the perfect example. It’s a deep drop for the quarterback. Number 94 of the Gators comes off the snap fast. Theus fails to get back quickly enough and is left reaching just to try to redirect him at all. If the ball were held a half second earlier, that’s a strip sack and fumble.

• Inconsistent with his arm extension. Tends to let rushers get into his body too much.
• Doesn’t recover easily if he’s hit with a good initial jolt in the pass rush. Can be put on roller skates and even thrown out of the way due to footwork issues.

Keep in mind here that Theus is an SEC left tackle. He’s going against Reggie Ragland, who is primarily an inside linebacker. This should be a mismatch in the linemans’ favor. Instead Ragland comes off the ball with momentum and gets full extension into his body, shoving him out of the way on what almost always goes down as a sack. If an inside linebacker can do that, what about a Von Miller, or J.J. Watt or Justin Houston?

• Despite his size, he seems to lack a considerable power element. Doesn’t generate a ton of movement in the ground game.
• Has bad tendency to lunge at defenders, making it easy for them to sidestep past him and get into the backfield.

Pro Comparison: Breno Giacomini

There is no way Theus is going to play left tackle in the NFL. His best bet is shifting to the right side. His experience with run blocking and size make him a strong comparison to the New York Jets right tackle Giacomini. However, also like him he has more bad games than good ones and looks to be a liability in pass protection.

Projection: 5th to 7th rounds

John Theus needs a ton of work if he’s going to become an effective pro tackle. He’s got the size and enough athleticism but his technique is inconsistent and he must get stronger. Chances are he’ll be a late-round project unless one teams falls in love with him.