Colts 2022 Draft Interviews: Jamaree Salyer, OT/IOL, Georgia

Jamaree Salyer is a former five star recruit out of Pace Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. While he had his choice of basically any college out of high school, he decided to stay close to home and attend Georgia.

I asked him about that recruiting process:

So, for me, we kind of narrowed it down to Clemson, Alabama, and Georgia. It was kind of that perfect storm. In 2017, (Georgia) was hot off of a National Championship run of their own that year and it was a great thing to watch.

It really just checked all the boxes. It's close to home, only like an hour drive from my house, so I took great pride in being able to have my family come and watch me play. On top of all that, I wanted to have a great education.

A Georgia degree holds great weight in the world, so I wanted to go to a school where my degree meant something. So, that is how I ended up at Georgia.

Salyer wasn't handed the starting job when he first arrived at Georgia-- he had to earn every bit of playing time. He was mostly a reserve lineman/special teams player during his first two years, making two starts at right tackle as a sophomore.

He finally got his chance to start as a junior, starting nine games at left tackle and one game at left guard. He finished off his final season in college starting 11 games at left tackle, while seeing some snaps at right guard as well. On top of all of these positions, he also served as the team's backup center early in his career.

I asked Salyer if the plan for him coming into college was to be this do-it-all type of lineman or if it just ended up that way due to injuries and personnel:

I honestly thought I was just going to be a guard coming into college-- that is mostly what I played in high school. When I first got to Georgia, the coaches were adamant about having guards that could snap. He just always wanted that because of past depth problems at center.

He wanted to have guards that could snap and that is how Trey Hill, for instance, ended up at center. So, I took a lot of snaps at center my freshman year and transitioned a lot between the two positions. (Coach) was big with his centers, and all of his guys, learning the scheme and the why's of our assignments, so that was big for me as a freshman.

So, my sophomore year comes and we have depth problems at right tackle. (The coaches) didn't really have a guy they trusted at right tackle, so I became the second team right tackle. I started some games there and I played some right guard and left guard that year.

That just became the theme of my entire career. My junior year I went to left tackle for, again, a depth problem. The goal was to put me back at guard but the coaches felt very comfortable with me at left tackle. So, yeah, it has been a lot of rotation for me, but I have enjoyed it and embraced it.

Salyer was named to the All-SEC Second Team and was also a Walter Camp Second Team All-American for his strong play as a senior.

Differences in Positions

It is hard to comprehend how difficult it is for an offensive lineman to continually move positions in football. The footwork and technique is completely different at each spot, and it is extremely impressive that Salyer was able to move seamlessly back and forth.

I asked him about the difficulties of constantly changing positions in his college career:

Yeah, it would take me a few practices before making a transition. From getting used to getting the calls, used to different footwork, used to hearing a play-call from another side... It would take a bit to get myself acclimated with these things.

It was definitely something that I enjoyed. I enjoyed the challenge of being able to play multiple positions. I didn't understand the value that it had at the time because I just valued being a team player. For me, I just enjoyed it because it made me a better teammate and it was a fun challenge to learn something new.

With the rise of swing offensive linemen in the NFL, this versatility will only help Salyer earn a role early in the league. I asked him if he thought, from his conversations with players and NFL teams, this aspect of his game will help him in that transition to the league:

It is definitely something that I've come to learn was one of the best things I've ever done. Playing center as a freshman is probably one of the hardest things you could do (besides playing quarterback). For me, that change, and all of the others, are something that I've just embraced and it is paying off at this point in my career.

Playing center at such a young age helped me understand protections and how to be a vocal leader from day one. The opportunity to play tackle in a league that has so many talented edge rushers also helped my game. It was just a blessing all around.

Jamaree Salyer squarely driving the 3-tech and displacing him.

Stud. pic.twitter.com/ePnjEfbe2k
— Spencer Schultz (@ravens4dummies) February 2, 2022

National Championship

While Georgia winning a National Championship is far from an underdog story, it was still extremely impressive to see what the Bulldogs pulled off this past year. Salyer was a major part of that run, starting 11 games at left tackle (plus a few others at right guard) and being a vocal leader for the team.

I asked him what it felt like to finally get that championship to end his career:

It was definitely special. We talked everyday about how we wanted to get one percent better. Even down to the last two games, we wanted to make sure we were still getting one percent better each and every day.

We had great leaders, great talent, and we just checked all of the boxes on paper. We just had to go out there and make people believe that we were as good as advertised. A lot of people will question our offense or our quarterback play, but we went out there every Saturday and got the job done (except for one time).

We got it done when it counted. We took a lot of pride in that and we had different traits that we wanted to define our team. One of the biggest of those traits was connection. We wanted to be a connected team that was very resilient and tough. Those DNA traits carried us a lot farther than we could have dreamed of, with connection probably carrying us the furthest.

We went out there and played for each other and didn't let our purpose on the field be selfish. It was a strong message for us that we really embraced.

Two fun clips from Jamaree Salyer's (UGA) tape vs Clemson 💪🏽

Salyer has taken significant snaps at every position along the OL

Here's his measurements from the Reese's Senior Bowl:

Height: 6’2”
Weight: 320
Arm Length: 34”
Wingspan: 80”
Hand: 9 1/2” pic.twitter.com/uoQeMwNxBZ
— Nick Falato (@nickfalato) February 28, 2022

Leadership Ability

Salyer was one of the biggest leaders with the Bulldogs this past year. He was given the Dick Copas Leadership Award at the Dawgs Choice Awards program following the year. He was also one of the four permanent team captains for the team in 2021.

I asked him about his growth into becoming a leader for this talented Georgia team:

I think it just happened naturally. Guys kind of respected who I was on and off of the field. Guys knew that I could play the game the way it was supposed to be played, and guys knew that I was somebody they could count on once we crossed that white line and went home.

Guys knew that I meant what I said and I said what I meant. I took pride in being somebody that was never out and in a position to put myself in trouble. I always wanted to be somebody that was accountable for my actions, and I think a lot of guys grew to respect that.

They knew what they were getting with me. I think as I got older, I became more of a vocal leader. The team just needed one and a lot of guys relied on me to be that kind of guy. I embraced that role and I was comfortable being in that spot.

Jamaree Salyer lolololol pic.twitter.com/X74RvrH7HN
— Cory (@fakecorykinnan) September 26, 2021

NFL Draft Outlook

I finished off the interview with the same way I finish all of them. I asked Salyer how he would sell himself to a team this offseason. I asked him what my team would be getting, on and off the field, if they draft him:

On the field, you are getting a guy that can play all five positions. A guy that is confident in his abilities and a guy that understands the game of football at a very high level. A guy that plays, and practices, the game the right way. A guy that plays with a physical mindset and a physical edge.

A guy that has goals and has purpose in everything that he does on and off the field. Off the field, I'm a homebody that will always be there for his teammates. I'm going to come in with an open mind and ready to learn.

These teams are just getting a guy that is talented, but also a guy that is very detail-oriented and a guy that wants to be a good teammate.

Salyer has the makings of a long time NFL player. His versatility and dependability will go a long way in the eyes of these teams looking to draft him.

With the rise of importance of swing offensive linemen in today's game, Salyer is the type of player that can churn out a valuable role for an NFL team.

Follow Zach on Twitter @ZachHicks2.

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