SI loves guard Laken Tomlinson

At 6'3" and 323 pounds, he's a real problem when he's got his leverage going in run-blocking. Tomlinson can move people around decisively with his tremendous upper-body strength and wide base. He's also more agile and better in pass-blocking than you'd expect from a big man. He gets into trouble when he tries to hit targets at the second level; he's not always aware of his surroundings in space. He'll also need to learn how to pick up more advanced defensive schemes at the NFL level. That said, Tomlinson has a high football IQ and certainly a high IQ in general—he wants to be a doctor when his playing career is over. For now, he's best-suited to a team with a passing game that works off a power running system.

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hawknation2015":31w797mr said:

At 6'3" and 323 pounds, he's a real problem when he's got his leverage going in run-blocking. Tomlinson can move people around decisively with his tremendous upper-body strength and wide base. He's also more agile and better in pass-blocking than you'd expect from a big man. He gets into trouble when he tries to hit targets at the second level; he's not always aware of his surroundings in space. He'll also need to learn how to pick up more advanced defensive schemes at the NFL level. That said, Tomlinson has a high football IQ and certainly a high IQ in general—he wants to be a doctor when his playing career is over. For now, he's best-suited to a team with a passing game that works off a power running system.

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http://www.si.com/nfl/2015/03/31/2015-n ... -tomlinson

He's a possibility at No. 63. Would be an upgrade as a run blocker over both Carpenter and Bailey -- definitely Bailey. If he starts at LG, it also improves our depth a OT by making Bailey available as a backup. There would be the inevitable rookie mistakes, but not a bad long term move.

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hawknation2015":e4ia6q4i said:

One of the most common mistakes made in the scouting business is to pigeonhole a lineman as either a power or zone blocker and then assume that player does not have the skill set to make a successful transition to a different blocking scheme.

In this case, Laken Tomlinson has the intelligence and strong run blocking that Tom Cable tends to look for in his linemen. Not only that but he has already shown that he can excel in a zone blocking scheme, as he has done for four years at Duke. Are there areas of his game in pass pro that he can clean up? Yes. Does that make him incompatible with our scheme? Not at all. There is very little about Russell Okung that says "zone blocker," for example, and yet he is still our best lineman when healthy.

I for one would be relieved to see a great run blocker like Tomlinson taken at no. 63.

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massari":1dei6w4h said:

If they take an OL at #63 what would you knowledgeable guys think of taking a gamble on Cedric Ogbuehi who's coming off a torn ACL?

I asked in a different thread but couldn't get a response, so what would you think, is he worth the gamble as a guy who can play OG and OT on both sides and is a "powerful run blocker and agile, athletic pass blocker."? Is he the type of player the Seahawks covet?

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CurryStopstheRuns":2hke92j2 said:

hawknation2015":2hke92j2 said:

One of the most common mistakes made in the scouting business is to pigeonhole a lineman as either a power or zone blocker and then assume that player does not have the skill set to make a successful transition to a different blocking scheme.

In this case, Laken Tomlinson has the intelligence and strong run blocking that Tom Cable tends to look for in his linemen. Not only that but he has already shown that he can excel in a zone blocking scheme, as he has done for four years at Duke. Are there areas of his game in pass pro that he can clean up? Yes. Does that make him incompatible with our scheme? Not at all. There is very little about Russell Okung that says "zone blocker," for example, and yet he is still our best lineman when healthy.

I for one would be relieved to see a great run blocker like Tomlinson taken at no. 63.

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But, you linked to an article that says otherwise. Very confusing.

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Scottemojo":3ux20igr said:

I am far from an expert, but I watched this guy and was very impressed. He is a road grader.

I also doubt Seattle is interested. He did pretty much zero zone blocking that I saw. The second level stuff about him is overblown, in a power scheme like Duke he was never expected to do any thing but demolish the guy across from him. And he did. But there is not much I saw that translates to what Seattle does. And he is a pure guard, unless he learned to snap the ball since December. Pete and Cable like those versatile guys too much to take this guy.

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But among all offensive linemen, I'm highest on Duke guard Laken Tomlinson as a zone blocker. He's agile for his size, has the intelligence that a zone-blocking-centric philosophy requires and he can quickly read and react to stunts and twists. His work in a complex college offensive scheme will ease his transition to the NFL. It would be no surprise if he's a Week 1 starter for the team that selects him.

http://prod.www.broncos.clubs.nfl.com/n ... 33fe437e5d

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hawknation2015":1wdi60qd said:

Scottemojo":1wdi60qd said:

I am far from an expert, but I watched this guy and was very impressed. He is a road grader.

I also doubt Seattle is interested. He did pretty much zero zone blocking that I saw. The second level stuff about him is overblown, in a power scheme like Duke he was never expected to do any thing but demolish the guy across from him. And he did. But there is not much I saw that translates to what Seattle does. And he is a pure guard, unless he learned to snap the ball since December. Pete and Cable like those versatile guys too much to take this guy.

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I agree with your take on LT but must correct you on one thing. Duke runs a zone blocking scheme and has run that system since 2008 when David Cutcliffe installed it. Cutcliffe is wildly known as a zone blocking guru, since his days in the SEC, although he does take a hybrid approach at times with more man blocking in short yardage situations.

For balance, here is another take on LT as a zone blocker:

But among all offensive linemen, I'm highest on Duke guard Laken Tomlinson as a zone blocker. He's agile for his size, has the intelligence that a zone-blocking-centric philosophy requires and he can quickly read and react to stunts and twists. His work in a complex college offensive scheme will ease his transition to the NFL. It would be no surprise if he's a Week 1 starter for the team that selects him.

http://prod.www.broncos.clubs.nfl.com/n ... 33fe437e5d

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penihawk":101ojvtl said:

massari":101ojvtl said:

If they take an OL at #63 what would you knowledgeable guys think of taking a gamble on Cedric Ogbuehi who's coming off a torn ACL?

I asked in a different thread but couldn't get a response, so what would you think, is he worth the gamble as a guy who can play OG and OT on both sides and is a "powerful run blocker and agile, athletic pass blocker."? Is he the type of player the Seahawks covet?

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That's a tough one for me personally. If you are drafting a franchise left tackle then probably but if he was gonna be the 3rd or 4th best OT in this draft that will kick inside to OG & eventually maybe be a LT then no.

If you look back at the last 10 drafts, franchise LT is damn near as hard to hit on as a QB. This draft is too deep in the OL to take a flyer on a redshirt player with no guarantees of anything imo.

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