Five Play Prospect: Gators OL Gerald Mincey Scouting Report
Note: This story previously stated that Gerald Mincey had already enrolled at Florida. That mistake was noticed by GatorMaven and has been corrected. Sorry for any confusion.
As the GatorMaven "Five Play Prospect" series continues - breaking down each of Florida's early signings with a five play scouting report - it's time to take a deep dive on the four offensive linemen headed to Gainesville.
We've previously covered Joshua Braun and Issiah Walker, and today we will break down Gerald Mincey's film.
Mincey, 6-5, 320 lbs., hails from Cardinal Gibbons (Ft. Lauderdale FL). Mincey, like Walker, would benefit from a redshirt year under their belt to fine-tune their game and compete to start in 2021, but both carry great size and display valuable traits on tape.
Film Room
Slap block
One thing that repeatedly stands out on Mincey's tape is his slap block. You don't see tackles do this often, unless they have very strong hands and have mastered the technique, but Mincey confidently uses the slap block in his play and it's pretty cool.
One offensive lineman who has similarly used the slap block is former Alabama tackle Cyrus Kouandjio, who was a second round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft by Buffalo. He polished the move and helped make it popular to prevent wide defensive ends from bending around the edge.
These blocks come in handy on draw run plays and in pass protection, allowing rushers to work outside and away from the quarterback and capitalizing by using his strong hands to club the rusher out of his rush lane, and sometimes into the turf. As Mincey continues to add strength in Florida's strength program, he should only get better with the slap block.
Hand usage
With his aforementioned strength in Mincey's hands, similar to former Gators offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor, he swipes through pass rusher's hands effectively to knock them off balance.
His technique will have to be adjusted in pass sets, as he bends his back forward to lean into blocks which isn't great form. Rather, Mincey will want to lower his center of gravity to win pad level battles while remaining upright.
But, once that stance is tweaked, Mincey's hand usage is going to be an incredible tool. On the rep above, Mincey swiped through the pass rusher's extension on first contact and quickly gets his hands back up for a second swipe - this one knocking the rusher off balance as the ball comes out.
Run blocking
Unlike pass protection, however, Mincey's run blocking pad level is just fine as he shoots out of his stance. He's quick to create contact in his down blocks to set up blocks, even on the backside of the play.
Much like Braun and Walker, Mincey is the type to consistently finish blocks, no matter the play call. He does that on the above run play, anchoring and driving out his block into the second level where the rusher collapses.
Mincey quickly shoots and locks his hands inside the rusher's chest after bursting out of his stance and winning the pad level battle through contact.
From there, he has all the leverage to take this block where he wants, and he drives the defensive lineman at least 13 yards down the field before exiting the frame.
Pure strength and drive.
Pass protection
We see that same fierce, physical play style from Mincey in pass protection, and although there are some technique issues that he will have to clean up on this end, he's got the tools to be successful with his size and strength.
You can see Mincey's violent hands on display once again, quickly popping the rusher's chest and swiping through his arm extension through the rush. With Mincey's left hand on the defensive end's outside shoulder, he follows his swipe with pure strength from the outside to push the rusher into the dirt.
This is the type of film that should get you excited about an offensive lineman. Hand usage development is critical as players ascend into the college level, especially in pass protection, and it's already a strong aspect of Mincey's game.
Final thoughts
Mincey, like Walker, could really benefit from a year of development under strength and conditioning coach Nick Savage and offensive line coach John Hevesy to enhance their game and get stronger at their ideal frame.
With a redshirt season under their belt, both should enter the 2021 season with a serious shot at offensive starting tackle jobs. There are similarities to Jawaan Taylor in several aspects of Mincey's game, and everyone should be excited to see that in action when the time comes.
