PFF SCOUTING REPORT: OT JASON SPRIGGS

Stats to know:
Third- highest pass blocking efficiency among Power-5 left tackles

What he does best:
• Elite level anchor and lower body strength. Great movement when locked in on double teams
• Fantastic athlete that can get out and run with the best of them
• Extended experience running outside zone. Showed ability to control blocks on the move
• Won on 60 percent of his one-on-ones at the Senior Bowl, the highest rate of any tackle

Biggest concern:
• Ducks his head far too often. Too eager to get first punch in and gets himself off balance
• Upper body strength doesn’t match lower body strength and can get his hands swatted away. First punch is often weak
• Indiana offense didn’t ask for a ton of true pass sets

Bottom line:
He’ll be one of the best physical specimen’s to come out of the combine since Lane Johnson, but Spriggs is still more projection than finished project at this point. There is a lot to like in his game though, and there may not be a better frame to work with in the draft. If he can clean up some technical issues he’ll be an above average tackle.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2 ... t-indiana/

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hawknation2016":1xanazav said:

Stats to know:
Third- highest pass blocking efficiency among Power-5 left tackles

What he does best:
• Elite level anchor and lower body strength. Great movement when locked in on double teams
• Fantastic athlete that can get out and run with the best of them
• Extended experience running outside zone. Showed ability to control blocks on the move
• Won on 60 percent of his one-on-ones at the Senior Bowl, the highest rate of any tackle

Biggest concern:
• Ducks his head far too often. Too eager to get first punch in and gets himself off balance
• Upper body strength doesn’t match lower body strength and can get his hands swatted away. First punch is often weak
• Indiana offense didn’t ask for a ton of true pass sets

Bottom line:
He’ll be one of the best physical specimen’s to come out of the combine since Lane Johnson, but Spriggs is still more projection than finished project at this point. There is a lot to like in his game though, and there may not be a better frame to work with in the draft. If he can clean up some technical issues he’ll be an above average tackle.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2 ... t-indiana/

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kearly":kp0fn6cj said:

I like him, but I hope for his sake he is drafted elsewhere. I just don't trust Tom Cable to develop players. Further, given the way that our QB bails so quickly at the first hint of pressure, it's really no surprise that our offense has struggled with with OL who cede too much ground in pass pro. I find myself rooting for stouter, nastier OL this year even if they aren't SPARQ kings.

That said, I don't think Spriggs is over-rated or anything like that. He's going in mocks right about where he should. I think there are probably a dozen OL coaches that could make this guy a long-term starting tackle in the NFL. I just don't think Cable is one of them.

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While Spriggs has been one of the hotter tackles names in some draft circles, the tape shines a bright spotlight on concerns that could derail his future success as a tackle. Spriggs has outstanding athleticism, but his play strength and overall recovery ability are major concerns for a position as important as tackle. In my estimation, a move inside to guard or even center for a zone scheme team is the best fit to accentuate Spriggs’ strengths and hide some of his weaknesses.

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kearly":2l0yqgiy said:

Since Spriggs is probably very high on Tom Cable's wish list, I'll go a bit more in depth on my opinion.

Strengths:

-He physically "looks" the part of an NFL tackle.
-Outstanding combine performance
-Good posture in pass pro, he's not a leaner
-Moves well to the 2nd level
-34 1⁄4 inch arms
-Flashes dominance a few times a game when he's able to square himself on a defender
-Seemingly never commits a hold, not even the sneaky "can usually get away with it" kind. This is probably why PFF grades his pass pro so highly.

Weaknesses:

-Defenders can shove him back into the QB when they get under his pads. Play strength is not as good it should be.
-Can be beat around the edge right after the snap, and is susceptible to spinmoves. Recovery speed is a big issue.
-Needs to learn to grab at least a little on his punch or half-decent NFL pass rushers will abuse him.
-Not decisive on most of his plays, it's like he has to think for a second before doing anything.
-Effort is fine, but he's not nasty and doesn't finish blocks well, defenders slip off blocks too often. Shows no emotion.
-Comes from a spread offense with a small play sheet. Very little NFL preparation.

As a second opinion, here is what NFL.com's scouting report concluded:

While Spriggs has been one of the hotter tackles names in some draft circles, the tape shines a bright spotlight on concerns that could derail his future success as a tackle. Spriggs has outstanding athleticism, but his play strength and overall recovery ability are major concerns for a position as important as tackle. In my estimation, a move inside to guard or even center for a zone scheme team is the best fit to accentuate Spriggs’ strengths and hide some of his weaknesses.

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Overall, I think Spriggs is a lot like Justin Britt or Garry Gilliam. A terrific athlete with left tackle qualities who basically had to learn the position from scratch. Like Gilliam, Spriggs is a converted TE. And in the case of Britt, had some very similar crippling weaknesses that were never corrected. Cable gave up on Britt as a tackle after just one year, and I think the odds are fairly good that the same would happen with Spriggs.

I also wouldn't feel great about Spriggs playing guard, since he's a bit slow to diagnose and would likely be fooled on blitzes and stunts. And his issue with field strength would be magnified when 6'1" 300 pounders are getting under his pads. At center he wouldn't be ideal, standing at 6'6".

I think the best bet for Spriggs is to play tackle in the NFL, and hope to be fortunate to go the the right kind of ZBS team that can develop him and fix his issues. Maybe a team like Green Bay that is both well coached on the OL and patient. It wouldn't shock me to see Spriggs in a future pro-bowl but it would shock me to see him get there under Tom Cable's tutelage. Cable seems to be pretty decent with guys who were developed by other coaches, but his track record with raw athletes has been pretty bad in Seattle.

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