80 Prospects in 80 Days: Alabama OT Alex Leatherwood
Each day leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft, we will take a look at prospects that should be on the Carolina Panthers' radar. We will look at roughly eleven prospects per round to give a better idea of potential draftees beyond just the first round.
Here's our schedule for the next 80 days:
1st Round: Feb. 8th - Feb. 21st
2nd Round: Feb. 22nd - Mar. 6th
3rd Round: Mar. 7th - Mar. 18th
4th Round: Mar. 19th - Mar. 29th
5th Round: Mar. 30th - Apr. 8th
6th Round: Apr. 9th - Apr. 18th
7th Round: Apr. 19th - Apr. 28th
Prospect No. 15: OT Alex Leatherwood
College: Alabama
Height: 6'5" Weight: 312 lbs
Draft range: Late 1st round/early 2nd round
Analysis: Leatherwood is a very athletic tackle that can get to the second level of the defense rather quickly. He does a great job of identifying who is coming on the blitz and who is dropping into coverage. Getting any sort of a pass rush on him seemed impossible for a lot of teams. Leatherwood has great balance, footwork, and stands defenders straight up to where they have a severe lack of movement. If there is any one flaw in his game, I would say it's consistency. His production isn't hit or miss from play to play but there's a lot of plays where I think he could do more. Maybe he was getting bored of dominating the guy lined up across from him?
Regardless, Leatherwood projects to be a very solid quality starter in the NFL and fits one of Carolina's several needs. If the Panthers go with a quarterback in the first round, I can assure you that they will heavily consider drafting an offensive lineman in round two.
Analysis from NFL Draft Bible on Sports Illustrated:
Leatherwood showed he has the length to play outside at tackle. Scouts will be looking for improved footwork in drills and one-on-ones in order to confirm at which position they will rank him on their big boards.
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