Offensive Tackle

USC

6-6 310

Draft board overall prospect rank: #11

Draft board overall offensive tackle rank: #1

Overall rating: 89 (1^st round)

40 time: 4.93

4/12/10: Tyron Smith is an athletic freak. He bulked up from the 280-285 he was listed at last year as a Junior at USC in 2010 to 310 pounds for his Pro Day. He isn’t just bigger, but he carries it well. He ran a 4.93 at his Pro Day and he lifted 31 reps of 225 despite having freakishly long 36 3/8 inch arms. His long arms suggest room to bulk. He also just looks like a beast. He’s in amazing physical shape with very little body fat. I think he’s more athletic than Trent Williams was coming out last year and Williams’ athleticism got him drafted at #4 by the Redskins.

The big difference between him and Williams and is that Williams struggled at left tackle his senior season at Oklahoma. He had an impressive college career, but most of that was on the right side. He couldn’t handle the left side in college, but was drafted so high because of his athleticism. I frequently described Williams as a fast right tackle and nothing more last season.

Smith, meanwhile, has never played on the left side, with the exception of a few snaps here and there, so left tackle is a complete projection for him. However, given how well he played at right tackle, I think he could play the left side in the pros. He is a better technician than Williams was and he’s only 20 years old. The only reason he didn’t play left tackle as a sophomore or a junior was because USC had Charles Brown, a 2010 2^nd round pick, at left tackle in 2009 and Matt Kalil, a projected 2012 top 5 pick, at left tackle in 2010. He wasn’t forced to play right tackle for lack of talent. He has plenty of that.

The only thing that prevents me from giving him an elite grade is his lack of experience on the left side. There’s a chance he just won’t be able to play the position in the pros. We don’t know because it’s an absolute projection. Teams can have him line up on the left side in drills in individual workouts, which they have been doing and the results have been very good, but that’s no substitute for playing the left side in game action.

Other than that, this is a very good prospect. He’s athletic with room to grow and a superb work ethic. He has very good technique for his age and dominated on the right side in college, most notably dominating fellow potential top 10 pick Cameron Jordan in their matchup this season. He’s a mauler against the run and he’s athletic enough to be an elite pass protector, although he’s still somewhat raw in his pass protection. His range starts at 9 to Dallas and I doubt he falls past New England at 17.

NFL Comparison: Jason Smith