2021 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: IOL Josh Myers, Ohio State
IOL JOSH MYERS
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 310 lbs.
Class: Junior (red shirt)
School: Ohio State
Myers is a high school offensive tackle who played center for Ohio State. A former four-star recruit out of Miamisburg, Ohio, who was the 53rd ranked recruit in the 2017 cycle.
Myers started two seasons at center for the Buckeyes; he took more than 1,500 snaps. He earned a Second Team All Big-10 spot in 2019 and a First Team honor in 2020. Myers only played center for the Buckeyes, but his profile suggests that he has some positional versatility along the offensive line.
Notables
He comes from a very athletic family: his mother is a Hall of Fame basketball player, his father played offensive line for the University of Kentucky in the 1980s, and his brother also played offensive line at Kentucky.
Traits
He is a nimble center with quick feet, great movement skills, and excellent lateral quickness that helps on reach, scoop, and pull types of blocks. Ohio State didn’t run a lot of power/gap, but his athletic ability suggests he’ll be able to translate to that blocking scheme, albeit he is a bit stiff and lacks elite bend in his lower half.
He is explosive off the line of scrimmage with good hip mobility, range, and length to establish contact. He can lean a bit, throwing his balance and center of gravity off. He is a solid run blocker who does well within a phone booth.
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He can handle himself in base, has enough lateral movement skills to get to the outside shoulder of playside 3-Techniques, and he’s solid in chip and climb situations.
He gets low upon contact, sinks his hips, and uses good leverage at the point of attack. He has a wide-body and frames his blocks in a solid manner. He does a good job getting to the second level of blocks and locating linebackers in space. Angles at the second level are solid--he’ll sometimes over-pursue and get off balance while anticipating linebacker’s paths.
Has active hands that I wish were a bit more effective upon initial contact. Grip and overall strength are solid but not dominant traits. He flashed mauling ability when he explodes off the line of scrimmage and stays low. He plays with good leverage in the run game when going forward and while moving laterally.
Pad level can rise as a pass protector. He uses very quick feet to mirror - probably due to his background as a tackle. He isn’t overly flexible in his lower half and doesn’t have elite bend--he has a somewhat boxy frame.
Could do a better job of adjusting to counter moves and fitting his hands in pass protection--hands are active in this area. He struggles to snap and win against initial power moves. He has the anchor to sink his hips and sit on bull-rush moves.
Overall, Myers has a unique blend of speed and power, but neither is elite. However, both traits are good enough to suggest that Myers can be a starting center in year one. A solid overall prospect with a good amount of potential.
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