OL Tyler Vrabel 2022 NFL Draft Scouting Report

An NFL legacy, Tyler Vrabel is a project that requires significant work.

Background

Tyler Vrabel is an offensive tackle from Boston College and a prospect in the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft. Vrabel has been a starter for the Eagles at both left and right tackle for the last three seasons. He came to Boston College as a three-star recruit with offers from mostly Group of Five schools including Cincinnati, Houston, and Memphis. Vrabel played in two games as a true freshman in 2018 but ultimately redshirted.

In 2019, Vrabel earned the starting left tackle job as a true freshman. He started all 13 games and earned All-ACC Honorable Mention. As part of the offensive shift in philosophy with Jeff Hafley replacing Steve Adazzio, Vrabel moved from left tackle to right in 2020. There were rumors that this was due in part to a nagging injury that would have made him much less effective on the left side. Nevertheless, Vrabel still started all 10 games that he played and earned All-ACC Honorable Mention again.

Vrabel missed parts of 2021 with an injury

As a redshirt junior in 2021, Vrabel returned with a very experienced and talented offensive line. He also returned to his more natural position of left tackle. However, he missed two games due to injury and tried to play through his injury in a few others. Vrabel ended up starting 10 of 12 games and earned All-ACC Honorable Mention for the third consecutive year. He also declared for the 2022 NFL Draft despite having at least one more season of eligibility left.

Statistics

Career: 35 GP, 33 GS, 41 pressures allowed (27 hurries, 7 QB hits, 7 sacks), 11 penalties.

2021: 10 GP/GS, 17 pressures allowed (9 hurries, 3 QB hits, 5 sacks), 3 penalties.

2021 PFF Grades (20% snap minimum, rankings out of 329 OTs): 73.8 Overall (t-83rd), 71.5 Run Blocking (102nd), 74.2 Pass Blocking (t-78th).

Measurements and Drills

At Boston College’s pro day, Tyler Vrabel measured in at 6 feet and 5 ¾ inches and 316 pounds. His hands were 9 ¾”, his arms were 32 ⅜”, and his wingspan was 81 ⅜”. Vrabel ran the 40-yard dash in 5.40 seconds with a 1.81 10-yard split. He jumped 28.5” in the vertical jump and 110” in the broad jump. He put up 225 pounds 25 times in the bench press. He also completed the three-cone drill in 7.47 seconds and the short shuttle in 4.61 seconds. Vrabel scored a 7.62 Relative Athletic Score, ranking 288th out of 1204 OTs from 1987 through 2022.

Areas of Strength

• Good strength and power in initial strike; shocks defender off his initial move if placement and timing are right. Can get good movement in the run game.
• Solid run blocker in general, better in Man-Gap than Zone schemes; If/when he gets his hands right, able to scoop/forklift defenders with relative ease and displace them from run fit. Consistently generates push against most defenders to clear rushing lanes with Base and Drive blocks.
• Very comfortable getting out into and blocking in space. Explosive out of stance and able to cover lots of ground quickly; good at taking out defenders in the second level. Good as the Drive blocker in Combo blocks, using quickness and power to gain an immediate advantage over his opponent.
• Good mental processing and awareness, seldom making mistakes in terms of figuring out who to block and how to get there; able to detect line games and pick up the correct defender, passing them off well with his teammates.
• If he is able to sustain his block, consistently finishes with a nastiness to bury opponent into another defender or plant him in thre ground.

Areas to Improve

• Generally plays out of control: aggressive but fails to maintain engagement with defender throughout the play; waves arms/hands around when moving to maintain balanced. Seems to think he can win with length but he usually can’t.
• Struggles to consistently win in pass protection: looks awkward and uncomfortable dropping to set points, displaying sloppy footwork; plays with poor pad level and bends at his back, negating his ability to maintain leverage; mediocre anchor allows defenders to bull rush him and frequently put him on his back.
• Below-average hand usage: struggles immensely to sustain and finish blocks by controlling defenders; timing and placement are very inconsistent. Defenders are able to easily shed his blocks and make plays on the ball carrier. Greatly struggles against pass rushers with advanced/diverse repertoire of pass rush moves.
• Frequently gets out of his stance too early before the snap; not called as much in college but could be a problem in the NFL.
• Has some issues with staying healthy; switched to right tackle in 2020 due to injury; missed time in 2021.

Summary

Despite starting for three years, Tyler Vrabel is still a very raw prospect. He has good movement skills and strength. But his technique is sloppy and inconsistent. In pass protection, he is frequently overpowered by his opponents and does not look comfortable getting to his set points. As a run blocker, Vrabel struggles to finish blocks consistently, frequently allowing defenders to escape his grasp and make plays. He also has some issues with penalties, both pre– and post-snap.

Vrabel is a project that needs a lot of work, begging the question as to why he declared early for the 2022 NFL Draft. However, there are flashes of good reps against good opponents, mostly relating to his athletic ability and physical strength. He has an NFL pedigree, which is generally a significant boon for any prospect. 

Like another Boston College offensive lineman, Vrabel might be best served by moving inside to guard, given his lack of length (32 ⅜” arms, 81 ⅜” wingspan). If an experienced offensive line coach can clean up his development, he could turn into a serviceable starter. However, the road necessary for him to maintain a roster spot is very long. 

Grade: 4.5 (deep backup that needs significant development)

#403 Overall Player (#36 OT, #87 OL), Undrafted Free Agent

Comparison: Ty Sambrailo, 2015 R2 #59, Denver Broncos