New York Giants Draft Prospect: IOL Steve Avila

Nick takes a look at TCU interior offensive lineman Steve Avila.

Author:
Nick Falato
Publish date:
Feb 12, 2023 12:00 PM EST

In this story:

Steve Avila, OG

Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 332 lbs.
Class: RS-Senior
School: TCU
Arm length: 32 ⅝”
Wingspan: 79”
Hand size: 9 ¼”

A former three-star recruit out of South Grand Prairie High School in Grand Prairie, Texas, where he was the 151st Texan recruit and the 44th offensive guard during the 2018 recruiting cycle. Jeffrey Okudah, Roy Robertson-Harris, and Reggie Barnes also attended South Grand Prairie High School. Steve’s birth name is Estaban, and his hometown is Arlington, Texas.

Notables

A massive interior offensive lineman with a lot of experience. After redshirting in 2018, Avila displayed his versatility over four years. He played 1,010 snaps at left guard, 1,076 snaps at center, 96 at right guard, and 113 at right tackle. In 2022, Avila played almost all of his snaps at left guard and was a team captain.

This type of versatility is invaluable in today’s NFL. According to Pro Football Focus, Avila only allowed four sacks and 34 pressures in college; at left guard in 2022, he only allowed 11 pressures and zero sacks. Avila was one of the better players in Mobile for the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl.

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Strengths

Massive frame; positions his body well
Good low, coiled, stance allows him to explode low to high
Has enough athletic ability to function as an NFL starter in due time
Determined feet out of set - quick initial step off post foot with strong catch
Solid quickness to pull from the backside and kick out
Good angles as a run blocker - stays square to target when necessary
Does well swiveling his hips around 4i-shades while reach blocking
Impressive upper body strength - good overall play strength
Had several dominating down blocks against Texas Tech - excels in this area
Solid overall job in combo situations, solid transitions with Ace, Deuce
Climbs to the second level with solid angles toward defenders
Solid job hand fighting in pass protection
Very good anchor and ability to sit on his hips - handles power rushers well.
Handled counter moves solidly when he keeps his feet active in pass protection.
A lot of experience playing multiple positions
Had an excellent week at the Senior Bowl

Weaknesses

Boxy on the move with adequate foot-speed
Top heavy
Is a bit stiff and not overly flexible
Feet are a bit slower, which hinders mirroring ability
Could do a better job churning his feet through contact
Lateral agility to redirect his position possess adequate burst
Inconsistent punch timing/placement with hands - though base-punch would be more devastating considering his size
Upper body moves quicker than lower body while moving laterally - resulting in lunging
Once stacked at the point of attack, he struggled to consistently reestablish the POA

Texas Q1 4:35 1st & 10; Q4 7:47 1st & 10; Q4 4:46 1st & 10
Baylor Q2 2:35 1st & 10

Late to recognize twists, eyes are a bit slow

Summary

Steve Avila is a big, strong interior offensive lineman with a lot of experience for the Horned Frogs. Looks good exploding out of his stance and does a good overall job positioning himself between the defender and his responsibility (run & pass). He takes good angles into contact and is a good overall pass protector. Has to keep his feet more alive when defenders attack the half-man.

Avila has some technical flaws and athletic limitations. He’s top-heavy and stiff, and his use of hands are a bit inconsistent; his frame allows him to stay in front of targets at a solid rate, but longer defensive lineman have stacked & shed him at the point of attack enough to note in the run game. He could also be a bit quicker at diagnosing and reacting to twists aimed in his direction.

He may be better suited to operate in a power/gap/counter scheme where he showed a good ability to get out of his stance and redirect himself toward a target while in college, although that’s not to say he can’t have success in a zone scheme. He’s not the quickest OL, but he’s strong and reliable, and could hear his name called on day two of the draft.

GRADE: 6.21