Category: 2020 Player Profiles

STRENGTHS
Austin uses very mature techniques along with excellent athletic talent to be one of the most efficient offensive linemen I’ve seen coming out in a draft in a long time. He shows on film good overall foot quickness and has the size and long arms that teams look for in potential franchise offensive tackles. He is smart and understands that he doesn’t have to over block to make a block so that he can stay on his feet and continue to block. He has the athleticism to be used to pull and on sweeps and screens and does an excellent and patient job going to the next level to make blocks. Austin’s potential to be a franchise Left Tackle for the team that selects him is obvious and you know by now how much I like the obvious.

CONCERNS
Austin has to get bigger and stronger without it affecting his athleticism and I have no doubts that he will. He also has some technique work to do to improve his lateral agility. He is slow to react sometimes and also “short steps” his moves laterally and that makes him off balance when his opponent is quicker. This “short stepping” causes him to lunge and lose balance and those pass rushers that are flexible who can get under him, and are able to turn the corner, will have a field day against him if he can’t correct this. It’s simple, he just has to widen his base a bit more on those third and long obvious passing downs. Then again, what seems to be simple is sometimes hard for taller players to do consistently.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 1.47
When you go to the film to evaluate Austin he is so efficient that you start looking at other players who might catch your eye. This may be why some will rate other offensive tackles ahead of Austin in this draft but, you have me to set you on the correct path. Austin is big, athletic, and smart, with quick feet, long arms, and uses mature techniques. Those are the facts and they cannot be disputed. You can look at other players and get excited because they may be flashy but they will not be better, just flashier. I can say this; there is a lack of athletic offensive lineman on many NFL teams and that means any offensive lineman with athleticism will be selected early no matter if they are flashy or not so look for Austin to go early in this draft. I would not pass on him even if I was happy with my line in general and thought I needed to select other positions. Let’s be honest, you don’t find Left Tackles in free agency for a reason, they are too valuable, so selecting Austin would just be smart drafting.

STRENGTHS
Andrew has excellent athletic talent to play more than one position on the offensive line. He shows on film the quick feet needed to be a pro bowl offensive lineman and the size to dominate at the next level. He has those long arms that teams are looking for in their offensive tackle for the next level and his effort on every play is outstanding. His athletic talent will allow teams to use him as a pulling tackle, on sweeps and screens and his quickness getting out to the next level is unmatched by many offensive lineman playing now at the next level. Andrew has the potential to be one of the best offensive tackle at the next level in a few years IF he can understand that learning and doing the correct techniques is just as important as athletic talent.

CONCERNS
Andrew’s consistency and overall techniques are poor. He seems to overextend when run blocking and is often on the ground. His pass blocking is sound but he gives up the inside moves too often because he is too worry about being beaten up top. He has great quick feet but when run blocking forgets to keep moving them once he is engaged. When he gets beat, pass blocking, once again he lunges and forgets to move his feet and doesn’t turn his hips and drive his man up the field and with his quick feet, this should be easy. He also needs to get a lot stronger in his upper body to handle the power and strength of the defensive players at the next level. With all of that being said Andrew has the talent to be a franchise Left Tackle if HE believes he still has a lot of work to do. His interviews will be the key as too where he goes in the 1st round.

TALENT BOARD ROUND 1.53
Offensive linemen with excellent athletic talent are notorious for having and using sloppy and inconsistent techniques at the lower level. It’s because they have the athletic ability to recover when they make bad mistakes and that’s fine at the college level but that will not work at the NFL level. It’s true that you can’t make a player have better athletic talent. That being said, you can teach a player to play better than another player who has better athletic talent. Andrew’s talent, passion, and effort on every play are obvious on film but his inconsistent techniques are also obvious and on the film. For me, I don’t have the ability to interview him or see if he is going to classes or to establish his off-field character and work ethic and all of those issues will be the deciding factor into teams selecting Andrew in the early portion of this draft. For me personally, from the film, I’d take the chance, the talent is too obvious and potential franchise Left Tackles are always a big need.