Minnesota Offensive Lineman- Draft Style Evaluations

My favorite position group, yes I am biased, is the Offensive Line.  For the next series of articles I will take a look at some of Minnesota’s protectors and plan to write about each of them as if they were NFL draft prospects (Yes I have draft fever after this weekend).  I will talk about their strengths and if there are things that they may need to work on I will try to evaluate that as well.  Luckily these guys are tough and selfless and I expect they are already working on improving their game! Here’s to the big boys! [player_tooltip player_id="112105" first="Greg" last="Johnson"]- (Prior Lake High School) 6’5 290 Lbs. C/o 2023. @_gregjohnson16 Excellent frame and ability to move his feet for his size.  Greg is good in the combo block and down block game and his film shows him excelling as a puller.  When he is on the perimeter he does a nice job of trusting his path and being patient understanding that if the ball carrier is in phase that the defensive player will need to come to him.  Biggest area of growth will be in the pass game.  He has all the tools but often under sets and ends up turning his shoulders and giving the defender a shorter path to the quarterback.  This can be fixed by setting for more depth, or possibly width depending on the scheme and doing a better job with his punch before the defender gets into his chest.   [player_tooltip player_id="19003" first="Ryan" last="Retzer"]- (Belle Plaine High School) 6’3 285 Lbs. C/o 2023. @ryan_retzer As an interior lineman Ryan fits the bill in his skill set.  He is an excellent puller who doesn’t just look for the knock out block but understands how to run his feet.  He does the same when he is base blocking always keeping the legs churning.  His biggest area of growth will be his pad level, more importantly his hips.  In both pass and run game he has a tendancy to play to high out of his stance and while he can be effective against most of his competition now, that will be a hindrance as he moves to the college level.  Playing with low hips will allow him to exploit his finishing ability against bigger and stronger opponents.   [player_tooltip player_id="112090" first="Noah" last="Lindsay"]- (Rosemount High School) 6’2 280 Lbs. C/o 2023. @NoahLindsay18 When looking for a center in the recruiting process intelligence is always a huge factor.  Noah has it all the way down to how his highlight is constructed.  There will be a time for a coach to dig deeper into more film but as far as an introductory look at a kid his 20 play highlight is tremendously well set up.  What I like most about his game is his ability to use his eyes separate from his hands as well as his ability to re-direct in both pass game and coming off of combo’s in the run game.  The next step for Noah will be working on not being to forward heavy on his blocks, there is a tendency there to lean and at times it means he is on the ground a little more than he needs to be.   [player_tooltip player_id="120007" first="Kaleb" last="Rector"]- (Chaska High School) 6’3 280 Lbs. C/o 2023. @rector_kaleb The first thing that I notice on Kaleb is his first step.  He is very quick off of the ball or getting into his pull.  Having great feet is a huge plus for a big guy.  I like his ability to finish, and love how Chaska uses him in the backfield in some of their schemes, there is obviously a lot of trust there particularly on kick outs.  He needs to work hard to develop his punch, most of the time he makes contact with his shoulders and then turns the block into more of a push.  Timing up a strong punch is a big benefit particularly on second level blocks as well as paramount in pass protection.  I am excited to see Kaleb’s development through this off-season.   [player_tooltip player_id="295819" first="Austin" last="Schultz"]- (Moorhead High School) 6’4 285 Lbs. C/o 2023. @AustinSchulttz The mentality of a finisher just isn’t automatically there in every kid you see on the Oline.  Austin has a finishers mentality and it is one of his best traits.  Once he locks on a block he keeps his feet moving and intends to finish it.  He is very long and usually uses that length well.  Moorhead has enough balance in their offense that you get to see him in the run and the pass game and although there is some rawness there you can see flashes all over the film of a very good college offensive lineman.  He can get better with his punch to really utilize his length and in the pass game he can do a better job of playing with less forward lean which will get him in trouble with good bull and pull defensive rushers.