2021 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: OL Alijah Vera-Tucker, USC
OL ALIJAH VERA-TUCKER
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 315 lbs.
Class: Junior (red shirt)
School: USC
A four-star recruit out of Oakland, California, where he attended Bishop O’Dowd High School. Vera-Tucker was the 114th nationally ranked recruit in the 2017 cycle. Incredibly versatile for the Trojans; started left tackle after Austin Jackson was drafted in 2020.
Named to the AP’s All-Pac 12 First Team in 2019 while being named USC’s offensive lineman of the year--that’s with a 2020 first-round pick on the roster. Won the offensive Morris trophy given to the Pac-12’s best offensive lineman while earning a spot on the 2020 All-Pac 12 First Team.
Notables
He has played 426 left tackle snaps, 926 left guard snaps, and 139 right guard snaps--the versatility speaks to his natural talent as an offensive lineman.
Traits
Good build with a thick base and solid athletic ability for a left tackle, although he may be ideal at guard (doesn’t mean he can’t play tackle).
He comes off the line of scrimmage low with quick hands, good short-area quickness, and uses very good angles to control the point of attack--he does an excellent job framing his blocks.
He has smooth feet in his kick slide, albeit he seemed to compensate up the arc against speed rushers at tackle. His feet are active with mirroring, and his hips are fluid--he frequently readjusts the point of attack as needed and fits his hands well with good grip strength. He explodes through his hips and uncoils them as he consistently churns his legs in the run game.
He gets a very good vertical push at the line of scrimmage; once he gets his hands inside, it’s difficult for defenders to disengage. Hands and base combination are important and
He does a very good job climbing to the second level and locating linebackers--he’s balanced, calm, and drives through his targets with great competitive toughness. Possesses good overall functional strength.
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He uses his hands well and adjusts to counters exceptionally as a guard in pass protection. His anchor is very solid, and he doesn’t get bullied around. He handled counters well at tackle in 2020 but would get caught lunging up the arc against speed. He played with very good reactive quickness and was very consistent at each position.
He stepped into the left tackle position and played well in 2020; he only allowed eight pressures and two sacks all season, but most of it came in the same game. Six of the pressures and both sacks were against Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship, where the Ducks beat the Trojans 21-24.
He allowed only seven pressures and one sack in 13 2019 games at left guard. According to PFF, he’s allowed a quarterback pressure on less than 2% of his dropbacks--a model of consistency.
He is ultra-competitive, but there are times when I feel like he could be looking for work on plays where the quarterback extends off-script.
Overall, Alijah Vera-Tucker will be, and is, a very good football player that could be selected in the first round. Due to his versatility, processing, footwork, and ability to generate vertical push, his ideal landing spot would be in a zone scheme that can utilize his versatility wherever they deem fit.
Vera-Tucker may not test as well as some of these other players, but he’s a very good football player that can play left tackle but would certainly fit in at guard as a great “fall back” option.
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