Scouting 101: How To Scout an Offensive Lineman
by Matt Miller
President of New Era Scouting, Matt Miller, gives an in-depth look at how to scout an offensie lineman.
When scouting an offensive lineman, we are looking at many things at once. We must look at size, strength, hand speed, footwork, agility, hand placement, vision, reflexes and toughness. These are all things that must not only be scouted, but evaluated and compared to other players at the position. These traits all combine to make an offensive lineman a good or bad pass blocker and run blocker, which is what we are essentially looking for.
It is hard to sum up what makes a good offensive lineman, since the label consists of three positions. We will look at each position individually, and as a whole, when breaking down the many traits that make up an offensive lineman.
Strength: A good offensive lineman has to be strong enough to drive his man off the line of scrimmage and control his area in pass protection. Strength can be measured quite simply by watching a player. Does he drive his man off the ball? Does he routinely get pushed backwards by the defender?
Scouting Points: Watch the lineman’s technique here. Does he dip and drive the defender, or is he trying to just shadow block him? We want a lineman that has a mean streak and likes contact. The ideal lineman will drop his butt and hips, bend his elbows into a “V” formation and drive his man with his hands inside the chest plate of the shoulder pads. Try not to look too much into a player’s bench press numbers. Some players are just naturally stronger and better lifters. There are too many outside factors to consider as well, like arm length and form.
Tackle: Offensive tackles are usually long and lean, and because of this not as impressive when benching. The offensive tackle must have strong arms and hands, but his power still comes from his base. A tackle must be light on his feet though, so we do not want a heavy player here. Give up a little strength with a tackle if he has quick feet and hands. Tackles are not asked to simply drive block as much as interior linemen, so if you can find a tackle that excels in pass blocking but needs work in the run game, you can work with him.
Guard: The ideal guard will be naturally strong, especially through the midsection. Guards are asked to open the majority of the running lanes in the NFL, so they must be able to simply move the pile. Guards are generally thicker in their base, with shorter arms and more brute strength. A great example of this is Larry Allen. While he is still quite tall, he is very solid throughout his base and has extraordinary overall strength. Guards are not asked to do much in pass protection when compared to tackles. They also benefit from having the help of the center on most downs.
Center: Centers are the weakest of the group, but strength is still key to their performance. With more 3-4 defenses taking over in the NFL, centers must be strong enough to handle their man one-on-one if needed. A good center is going to have very strong lower body lifts and be able to use that strength to gain leverage. A center is at a blocking disadvantage because his first responsibility is the snap of the football.
Hand Speed: Having quick and strong hands is essential to being a good blocker. One of the first drills we teach young linemen on the high school level is to snap their hands up from a three point stance. Having quick hands is a necessity for a skilled pass blocker. You must be able to mirror and shadow the defender, with the ability to quickly punch and slide the rusher. Having quick hands in the run game allows you to get on the defender before he is able to get “into” the lineman’s body and drive him off the ball.
Scouting Points: This attribute is pretty easy to scout, but there is quite a bit of comparison involved. A great thing to be able to do is obtain a sideline view of the offensive and defensive lines. You can then study the snap of the ball, on both rushing and passing downs, and see which lineman is getting his hands up and into the defender first. The lineman should make one, solid movement at the snap of the ball; with either his lead foot coming forward or going back, depending on the ball, and his hands coming up with his shoulders getting squared.
All Positions: Every position is the same here, all linemen must have quick hands in order to hold up against skilled pass rushers and run stoppers. Being able to beat the defender of the ball is key, and much like in a fight, whomever lands the first punch generally wins.
Footwork/Agility: You routinely hear in scouting circles that offensive linemen must have the feet of a dancer to excel on the edge in the NFL. While interior offensive lineman can be protected by each other, an offensive tackle is generally on an island in pass protection and must have the agility and coordination to counter a faster pass rusher.
Scouting Points: We get to see this on almost every third-down in a game. The offensive lineman takes a quick out step and punches, while the defensive end rushes with a hard outside move. How does the lineman adjust to this? Does his inside foot (right foot for a LT, etc) stay planted, or is he nimble enough to move and slide? Can he hinge step (opening up towards the outside to wall off the pass rushing lane)?
Tackle: A well rounded offensive tackle must be able to hinge-step, slide step and double step to be an adequate pass rusher in the NFL. Part of being able to scout this is knowing the terminology. A hinge step is where the lineman (left tackle here) steps away from center and out, and then swings away from the line of scrimmage. This is called a hinge-step because the player mimics a door opening by turning himself away from the LOS. A slide step is just that, the player takes a hard step left, or right, and then slides with their inside foot to block off a rushing lane. A double step can be called many things, but we always kept this simple. The player will take one six-inch step (right/left) and then follow that with another six-inch step by the same foot. This can be done with one foot and then the back foot following.
Guard: All guards in the NFL must be able to pull, trap and fold block before entering the league. The best of the best at these blocks is an agile guard that can get to the perimeter and is quick and mobile enough to make a play on the end or linebacker he is blocking. To do this, the guard must have a quick outside step. Some OL coaches teach a cross-over step when pulling (left foot crosses behind right, then pull), while others teach a slide step. I prefer the cross-over step, as it puts the OL’s shoulders square to the target.
Center: You will not see a center pull, trap or fold block many times in a game. In fact you’ll never see one pull, but centers must be agile enough to get upfield. In some blocking schemes the center will key on a middle linebacker every play if he is uncovered on the line of scrimmage.
Hand Placement: Hand placement is extremely important for every offensive lineman, on every play. Hand placement dictates leverage, angling and even penalties. If a lineman’s hands are too wide, it’s holding. If he doesn’t have the proper placement on the chest of the defender, a holding penalty can be called, or the blocker can lose the battle that happens on every play up front. Ideally, the blocker will place both hands on the chest plate of the defender in a run blocking situation. Outside pass blockers are taught to punch, instead of initiating contact and trying to control the rusher.
Scouting Points: Look for a lineman that has quick hands and doesn’t get too wide in his placement. Ideally, the lineman will control the defender by keeping his hands inside the shoulder and most likely on the chest plate of the defender. A lineman should have a wide base and a thin top when blocking. His hands should be up, almost like a boxer, when he comes out of the snap. Most lineman are taught to fire out of their stance and actually clap their hands together in an effort to teach them to keep their arms in.
Vision: An offensive lineman must be able to see the rush coming, or see the defender he’s assigned to, on every play. Having exceptional peripheral and straight-line vision are important for a lineman. Tackles must excel at seeing blitzers coming off the edge, while guards and centers must be able to quickly spot and react to stunts, twists and zone drops.
Scouting Points: Short of giving an eye exam, there’s not much we can do here other than watch. Most offensive tackles in college will be asked to block one-on-one with defensive ends, especially the good ones. A pro-level blocker will be able to recognize line stunts, twists and drops; but he must also be able to see the blitz coming off the edge and quickly react to it. This can be tested well in one-on-one situations.
Toughness: Every play is a literal fight for an offensive lineman. A lineman must have the mental and physical toughness to withstand a battle 60-75 times a game. Players are hit, kicked, gouged and slammed in to repeatedly. Injuries will happen almost every week. For a NFL team, a lineman must be able to stay in the game, every game, without losing his composure.
Pass Blocking Technique: This has been touched on in many of the sub-topics, but it all boils down to how well a lineman can actually block. An ideal pass block begins with a quick first step off the ball. When pass blocking, the first step is always back and usually with the outside leg. This gives the lineman leverage and balance. A tackle’s first move is going to be to center himself with the rusher and to punch with his inside or outside hand, depending on the move the defender is making. A guard or center is going to also center himself, but instead of punching, he will actually make contact with the defender in an effort to control him. The lineman should have their knees bent and be taking small steps in order to control their balance and any leverage they have.
Scouting Points: Here we are breaking down every move the blocker makes. Does he have a quick outside step? How is his punch? Does he have the strength to over-power defenders? Every play you must look at the subjects listed here and evaluate the player.
Run Blocking Technique: Much like pass blocking, the first step is the key here. The run blocker will take a short step off the line of scrimmage and towards his defender or zone. The lineman will be looking to engage the defender and lock on with his hands on the sternum. This gives the lineman an area of contact to drive block the defender. It’s key for the blocker to keep his head up, feet moving and hands in contast contact when drive blocking.
Scouting Points: Quickness off the ball, vision, strength and hand placement are the key here. We want the lineman to have a low pad level and to roll through his block, keeping his feet moving at all times.