Joe Dahl, OL, Washington State: NFL Draft Scouting Report
By Jeff Olson
For anyone who hasn’t been following the Washington State football program (especially those of you on the east coast who don’t usually watch those late games) the Cougars are starting to build something under head coach Mike Leach. Famous for his air raid offense, Leach has once again built one of the better passing attacks in the nation. That’s why it might be a surprise for some to hear that the team’s best player isn’t a quarterback or a flashy wide receiver, but rather a versatile offensive lineman named Joe Dahl.
Height: 6’3
Weight: 299 lbs.
Arm length: 32 3/4 inches
Strengths
Dahl moves very well for a man his size. He is at his best when on the move and getting to the second level. He’s also very good at slipping out into the screen game and paving the way for running backs or wide receivers who catch the ball behind the line of scrimmage.
Dahl’s ability to move translate well into his pass protection. He has a nice kick slide to protect the edge and the ability to mirror his defenders. His ability to pass block is his greatest strength. He allowed only one sack as a junior and only three sacks last season, despite playing four games with a broken foot.
Another thing that stands out to me is Dahl’s football IQ. He shows a good deal of awareness, picking up stunts and blitz’s well. Dahl also shows the ability to use the defenders momentum against them, riding their rush past the QB and out of the play.
It’s also worth noting that Dahl is very technically sound in everything he has been asked to do as Washington State. He keeps his feet moving on every block, even when he could barely walk with his broken foot. He also shows good bend to his game, refusing to lunge out and lose balance. Finally he uses his arms well to engage defenders and keep them out of his chest.
Weaknesses
The thing that jumps out at me is Dahl’s functional strength, or more so the lack of functional strength. He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who can line up and out muscle the guy in front of him. This may make him a liability as a run blocker and susceptible to quality bull rush moves from powerful defensive linemen.
Although Dahl did start 12 games at guard as a sophomore, more of his experience is as a left tackle. However, because Dahl doesn’t have the length teams are looking for in an offensive tackle prospect he will likely be forced to move inside. This means he will have to learn the proper technique to play inside, making him a bit of a project.
Even if Dahl learns the finer points of playing on the interior line (which I expect he will fairly quickly) I question if his fineness style can translate inside. He doesn’t have that nasty attitude that you’d like to see from an offensive line prospect. Without this warrior mentality and without above average functional strength, he could have real problems with the big powerful defensive tackles in the NFL.
Overview
There is a lot to like about Dahl, but to be successful he has to fall into the right situation. He is not a plug and play guy at this point. He needs time to fine tune the technique of playing guard and to put on about ten pounds of muscle before he is ready to contribute. However, if he has a chance to develop in these areas he can step in and start in a few years.
He shows the agility and quickness to block in space and the mental capabilities to handle whatever opposing defense can throw at him. If nothing else he offers offensive line depth at guard (or tackle in a pinch) with a chance to become more.