NFL Combine Day 4 Testing Notes: Offensive Line
The NFL Combine wrapped up with the offensive line, who felt compelled to have an elite day of testing.
Seriously, there were very few members of this group that didn't help their respective draft stocks, so let's jump into a few that stood out.
Tackle Amarius Mims (Georgia) is a Madden-created player. At almost 6’8” and 340 pounds, Mims had elite testing numbers, even tying Jake Fisher for the NFL Combine offensive tackle record with a 4.33 in the shuttle.
Mims carries his 340 pounds like a tight end carries 240. He’s inexperienced, but NFL teams will fall in love with that physical profile early on Day 1.
Interior offensive lineman Matt Lee (Miami) probably will find his name on every team that emphasizes zone blocking. Lee has gained weight consistently this offseason, up 13 pounds at the Combine from his Shrine Bowl weight a month ago. Gaining weight and still being one of the most athletic offensive linemen in a very athletic offensive line group will go a long way toward improving his stock.
Interior offensive lineman Tanor Bortolini (Wisconsin) is another guy who had a standout day. The NFL Combine record for offensive linemen in the shuttle will probably never be broken with Jason Kelce’s 4.14, but Bortolini’s 4.28 is the third-best all-time, and he looked as fluid as anyone during the on-field workout portion of the Combine.
Bortolini’s film is solid, and his resume improved this week. It’s easy to imagine he did a good job on the whiteboard and in the film room, considering he’s played every spot on the offensive line except left tackle and has played in both gap and zone-heavy systems.
Interior offensive lineman Cooper Beebe (Kansas State) is another winner from this final day of testing. Beebe’s film is already solid, but he’s clearly been trying to clean up his body a bit during this pre-draft process, and it paid off during his workout. Beebe came into the Combine at 322 pounds, down from his listed playing weight of 335 pounds.
The on-field portion of the workout was great for Beebe regarding fluidity. Teams concerned about his agility likely had some questions answered and will give Beebe another look.
Before we get into those who didn't stand out positively, how disheartening was it to see multiple players get injured running the 40-yard dash on Sunday, including likely first-round pick Olu Fashanu out of Penn State?
We're not sure why offensive linemen have to run the 40-yard dash, as how often will they be asked to run that far down the field? So, who knows? Maybe the testers will agree and drop that from the offensive linemen showing.
Interior offensive lineman Andrew Raym (Oklahoma) was one of the few who didn't have a strong showing. Besides not wowing with his 40-yard time (see previous paragraph), where Raym struggled was just about every area showcasing explosiveness, with the 10-yard split and vertical and broad jumps being at the bottom of the class.
Some offensive linemen can take those numbers and succeed in gap-based systems in the NFL. Still, Raym is of relatively average size and strength, and NFL teams love athletic interior linemen for move blocking.
Tackle Jeremy Flax (Kentucky) recorded the worst 10-yard split of the day when he hit the mark in 1.96 seconds. Flax packs a decent punch as a blocker, but his horrid 10-yard split and bottom-tier broad jump will likely drop him from some team boards.
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