Raiders NFL Draft Prospect: C/G Steve Avila, TCU
The Las Vegas Raiders were forced to rotate their offensive linemen for various reasons, mostly in need of finding the right rotation last season.
The Silver and Black will have an opportunity this offseason to get valuable assets who can help stabilize the offensive line via the 2023 NFL Draft.
Center/Guard Steve Avila, TCU Horned Frogs
“The first thing that stands out on Avila’s film is his size. He isn’t the tallest center but he has a huge upper body. His natural upper body strength is extremely impressive. Players struggle to bull rush Avila, as he is just too strong to move. For his size too, Avila has very quick feet,” Draft Bible said of Avila.
At 6-3 and 332 pounds, Avila is a massive interior offensive lineman with a lot of experience and versatility.
After redshirting in 2018, Avila displayed his versatility over four years. He played 1,010 snaps at left guard, 1,063 snaps at center, 88 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.
“In short areas, Avila is explosive and quick enough to mirror defensive lineman," Draft Bible added. "That level of natural play strength combined with quick feet is hard to find. With that being said, Avila has a lot of work to do. He is all over the place technically and plays very sluggishly.”
According to Pro Football Focus, Avila allowed only four sacks and 34 pressures in college; in his final season at TCU, playing at left guard, he did not allow a single sack in 540 pass-blocking snaps.
Avila does have some technical flaws in his game, but that can be corrected with time and repetition.
“Athletically he’s top-heavy and stiff, and his use of hands are a bit inconsistent, but 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.”
In regard to the competition, he helped the Horned Frogs reach the National Championship game, was one of the better players at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, and participated in all the on-field drills at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, running a 5.21 40-yard dash, 1.86 on the 10-yard split, and pushing out 28 reps on the bench press.
Avila could start his NFL career as a good backup and later move into a starting role as either guard or center.
Overall, the Raiders might finally find stability in the offensive line via the draft and provide stability for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to work the Las Vegas offense.
The NFL Draft will occur at Union Station in Kansas City, Mo., from Thursday, April 25 to Saturday, April 29. ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network will broadcast all seven rounds.
March 13-15 is the free agent negotiation period. Starting at 12 p.m. EDT on March 13 and ending at 3:59:59 p.m. EDT on March 15, clubs are permitted to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2022 Player Contracts at 4 p.m. EDT on March 15.
The 2023 NFL Year and Free Agency period begins at 4 p.m. EDT on March 15. The Raiders are expected to be significant players in the free-agent market this season.
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