hawkfan68":2uy1pgp3 said:
He's an OL and he only put up 22 reps on bench press (I'm assuming that's the number in the 4th to last column)? A punter did more reps. Not a good showing for someone who needs to be physical and strong at their position.
It's not a lot. But the Bench is also not a test that really has a correlation to actual strength. I'm actually kind of surprised it's still part of the combine to be honest. That particular lift doesn't measure the kinetic movements that football players actually do when playing. A lot of players don't even really train that lift to begin with.
It isn't even a good metric for a lineman's punch move. That's a quick, short area movement. I can't help but think that in the not too distant future, the lift portion of the combine may be altered to use different kinds of lifts. Obviously high risk lifts like squats wouldn't be feasible.
I would say it's something that could use work. I'm not seeing it as a huge negative. When you watch him on tape, particularly when he blocks down to create cutback lanes, he looks like a real mauler. I view his functional strength is based on his legs and core strength. Additionally, when he pass protects, he doesn't seem to have the kinds of issues you'd expect due to weakness.
I think he'd be even better with more strength development in his upper body. Which is actually encouraging, because he already starts at a pretty high level in pass pro and zone blocking principles despite having a lot of room for improvement.
I'm not saying take Bitonio at 32. This is a guy who should be available at 64. I would say that I perfer Bitonio at 64 than pretty much any of the other OL prospects generically projected at the end of R1. And I'd prefer Bitonio at 32 over those same prospects. I see him as a real outlier talent there who will probably drop through typical stereotype factors (small school, not enormous, OT/OG hybrid).
If his name was called at 32, I'd be jacked. He has elite athleticism and when you watch his games, it's extremely easy to see him in a Hawks uniform. Nevada runs a very similar system to Seattle. He displays all the kinds of blocks and movements he'd be required to make here in Seattle. Looks like a perfect fit and a real asset in our stretch zone run (our bread and butter). Very good tape on his pass pro against quality competition (FSU ends/Jernigan and Anthony Barr).
Seattle is really good at projecting where players go. Bitonio very likely will be had much later. I would expect names like Jackson, Su'a-Filo and maybe even Cyril Richardson to be taken before him from teams looking at OG. I see teams still looking at Antonio Richardson/Moses and even Brandon Thomas as OTs before considering Bitonio. Power running man block teams aren't going to have more than a 3rd day grade on him and I'm sure his lift testing will be part of that. For ZBS teams, he is going to have a ton more value.
If we don't end up taking an OL with our first pick, this is a guy I would keep a close eye on. I expect he's very high on our board and we'll consider playing a little draft day roulette to see if we can get a good talent later.
