2021 NFL Draft OG rankings: Wyatt Davis and Alijah Vera-Tucker top list
By John Blair
#2. Alijah Vera-Tucker, USC
6-foot-4, 315 pounds
2021 NFL Draft grade: Second round
A player who really improved his stock this year is USC’s Alijah Vera-Tucker. The main reason his stock rose so much this season is that he switched from offensive guard to left tackle for USC this season. Vera-Tucker also excelled at USC in 2019 when he was named the team’s lineman of the year.
The top positive with Vera-Tucker is his ability to hold up in pass protection. This past season, he only allowed eight pressures on 305 pass-blocking snaps. In pass protection, he shows excellent feet and slides extremely well while pass blocking. He also holds up well when challenged by power as he has the strong base to hold his ground. Another positive with him is the fact he has shown the versatility to play either guard or tackle.
While Vera-Tucker, is one of the best pass blockers in the 2021 NFL Draft, he does leave something to be desired as a run blocker. In this area, he shows only average power and doesn’t drive his defender off the ball. He also has trouble staying on his blocks at times which is another concern NFL coaches will have with him.
While some mock drafts have Vera-Tucker going in the top-15 of the draft, that is too high for him. This is due to the fact that he is just an average run blocker, and you need to be one of the best guards in years to be drafted that high. His draft value is more of an early second-rounder.