2.58 - MIN: Ezra Cleveland T/Boise State

[battle2heaven]

I agree with the sentiment here, keep him at LT.

I love....LOVE his feet. His anchor needs refinement, but don't majority of tackles coming in? PS, boring film is GREAT for offensive linemen. 

 

[Krauser]

“The film is boring because it just seems too easy for him” is the kind of thing I love to read about any OL, let alone one drafted outside the top 50.

[vike daddy]

In the weeks leading up to the 2020 NFL Draft, there was chatter about Ezra Cleveland being a first-round pick. The Boise State left tackle ended up going to the Vikings in the second round with the 58th overall pick, meaning Minnesota got good value for a player who could help them for years to come.

Besides the value of Cleveland's selection, Ted Nguyen of The Athletic also believes that the scheme fit between the Vikings and the 6-foot-6, 311-pound lineman is a perfect one:

The Vikings will continue to implement an outside-zone-based system under Offensive Coordinator Gary Kubiak. The system requires smaller, more athletic offensive linemen because blocking on the outside requires movement and blocking defenders in space. There is certainly risk associated with drafting boom-or-bust prospects such as Cleveland, but the Vikings picked him at the bottom of the second round. There was buzz that he would get drafted in the first round. In this system, good tackle play is so important in the run game because in outside zone, the tackles are often assigned to reach or kick out defensive ends one-on-one. I like how the Vikings filled a need with good draft value and a high-upside player who fits so well schematically.

https://www.vikings.com/news/ezra-cleveland-among-the-athletic-s-best-scheme-fits-for-rookies?fbclid=IwAR1-B7bkkBUnr_ZI9ETHiTFwuAofzj1EDLAmrji6mSD703vi2E6jthzjWwM

[Guest]

I like the pick...especially at 58.  I still don't think he will be a day one starter as a rookie.  I have no doubt he will contribute, but give him a season to polish his technique to be ready to face a caliber of opponent he's never had to face before.

[swede700]

 

[Krauser]

32 minutes ago, swede700 said:

 

Just turned 22, so he's nearly 3 years younger than Bradbury (25 in June) and O'Neill (25 in September). 

[RpMc]

It’s too bad Elflein looks like he won’t get back to his pre-injury trajectory 

Cleveland - 22, Elflein - 25, Bradbury - 24, Samia -  22, O’Neill - 24 (current ages, not in season ages) could have been a nice group for a few years. Maybe Udoh could slide into a spot somewhere. 

Edited May 8, 2020 by RpMc

[SemperFeist]

25 minutes ago, RpMc said:

It’s too bad Elflein looks like he won’t get back to his pre-injury trajectory 

Cleveland - 22, Elflein - 25, Bradbury - 24, Samia -  22, O’Neill - 24 (current ages, not in season ages) could have been a nice group for a few years. Maybe Udoh could slide into a spot somewhere. 

Even pre rookie injury, I don’t think Elflein fits Kubiak’s zone blocking scheme. 

Also, if Elflein never gets hurt and continued that pre injury trajectory, there’s a strong possibility that they don’t have Bradbury. 

[vikingsrule]

34 minutes ago, RpMc said:

It’s too bad Elflein looks like he won’t get back to his pre-injury trajectory 

Cleveland - 22, Elflein - 25, Bradbury - 24, Samia -  22, O’Neill - 24 (current ages, not in season ages) could have been a nice group for a few years. Maybe Udoh could slide into a spot somewhere. 

I’d guess LG will be a priority next year, so more youth will be added. Can’t imagine Reiff is part of the long term plans there.

[Krauser]

Here's a video scouting report on Cleveland: 

It's interesting to see the All-22 angle, but I think the analysis is off-base -- leans heavily into the "poor anchor, concerns with power" angle, comparing him to (surprise) Brian O'Neill. 

But the clips chosen aren't great examples: 

• a stunt gets inside him in the Washington game, probably wasn't his gap to cover
• the Washington edge takes an outside arc and Cleveland (despite not rocking him back much with his punch) rides him 10 yards deep while still in control -- this is a negative play?
• the FSU edge gets halfway through his inside gap, which Cleveland reacts to awkwardly (kicking up his inside leg), though he is able to re-anchor and does finish the play in good position
• he's supposedly driven back into the QB's lap by a bull rush but the play actually shows the QB taking 2 strides across the pocket to the left and running himself into the back of his LT as he makes the throw
• he supposedly doesn't do enough to drive the LB back at the second level on a run block but someone's fallen on his leg from behind so he's tripping as he tries to make the block (which he does a decent job of anyway)

Over half the video is taken up by these negative plays, but I don't think the analysis of them is entirely fair, and I don't think they're representative of Cleveland's overall play. 

Here's the sequence supposedly showing Cleveland's poor anchor (starts at 9:20 of the video). The all-22 camera pans back and to the side, which is a bit misleading, so I cropped the images to show the same area on the field. Note where the yellow telestrator circle is drawn (this is the area the scout wants Cleveland not to get pushed back into) compared to the bronze circle at the base of the feather in the Seminoles logo at midfield, then note where Cleveland ends up (outside his initial position in his stance) and where the QB does (all the way over to his left next to the base of the Seminoles' feather). 

I think that shows the QB sliding in the pocket, not the LT getting pushed back into his lap. Cleveland does have to reset his initial anchor, but he is able to do that and still keep the pass rusher outside the pocket.

The player he's blocking here is FSU DT/DL Cory Durden, who put up 5 sacks last year at 312 pounds. PFF gave him the 15th best pass rush grade of any DL/DT in the nation and ESPN ranked him 5th on their watchlist for DTs in the 2021 draft. So that's a very good level of competition, and I think the rep is completely respectable from Cleveland, not a sign of him being overmatched. 

...

Comparing Cleveland to O’Neill is easy: two athletic LTs from mediocre programs who are a little on the smaller side. But if you watch them on film, the difference is pretty obvious.

O’Neill was a 240 pound TE who gained weight to convert to tackle at the age of 20, his redshirt freshman year. His tape in 2017-18 showed him frequently getting walked back into the QB in pass protection, and getting pushed back a couple of yards while trying to run block.

Much of that film has been taken down with DraftBreakdown disappearing (unfortunately, including the NC State game where he was facing Bradley Chubb) but a couple of the games are still there.

Here are a few specific plays from one game against Virginia Tech, in his draft year (age 22 here), showing O’Neill’s flimsy play strength:

• jolted back off the snap and shed immediately: https://youtu.be/MpvUVhwdz3I?t=48
• put on skates trying to run block and driven behind the guard: https://youtu.be/MpvUVhwdz3I?t=114
• knocked back 3 yards trying to run block: https://youtu.be/MpvUVhwdz3I?t=121
• walking backwards trying to pass block: https://youtu.be/MpvUVhwdz3I?t=129https://youtu.be/MpvUVhwdz3I?t=129

…those are all still in the 1st half! There are also some positive plays where he shows his mobility and ability to block in space (one of the best: https://youtu.be/MpvUVhwdz3I?t=190), but basically O’Neill doesn’t look like a lineman, he looks like a blocking TE.

In the NFL, O’Neill continued to look too thin and weak to hold up at tackle. Here are some examples from his rookie year:

• https://twitter.com/BrandonThornNFL/status/1042113959518646272?s=20
• https://twitter.com/BrandonThornNFL/status/1042121801591947264?s=20
• https://twitter.com/BrandonThornNFL/status/1045022488982241280?s=20

O’Neill still looks like a tight end there, slim and tapered compared to Reiff. And he’s getting swamped by an aging Clay Matthews.

…

Cleveland meanwhile was a 304 pound starting LT in his redshirt freshman year, in 2017 at the age of 19. He’s not nearly as lanky as O’Neill — even as a 19 year old, he looked more like an OL than O’Neill does right now, in the NFL. His early college tape isn’t amazing (he misses too often with his hands, and occasionally gets beaten on spin moves) and the level of competition is mediocre (Wyoming and Colorado State aren’t exactly Khalil Mack or Preston Smith) but there is just no evidence at all on this film that he can’t anchor:

2017 vs Wyoming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bielAHd0P-w
2017 vs Colorado State: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxgNb2ZCNtQ
2017 vs Oregon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jmZHikb9iU

If you don’t want to watch all that (not to mention the 2018 or 19 tape), I recommend the Colorado State game since it shows him single blocking in pass protection against a bull rush multiple times. And there are several examples of him down blocking on DL early in the Oregon game, including a goal line situation. He does get beaten a couple of times with inside moves, or when he misses with his hands. But there’s certainly nothing like O’Neill getting pushed around on his tape, and again Cleveland was only 19 years old here.

So I don’t see a good reason for concern. Cleveland is not a mauler or a huge guy but he looks like an NFL lineman and he plays with enough power and anchor to get the job done. I mean, the Vikings current LT is Riley Reiff, who isn’t exactly Jason Peters as a physical specimen.

Cleveland does need to get stronger with his grip strength and better as using his hands in pass protection, and he’ll probably never be a dominant power blocker, but there’s no reason to think he won’t be able to play as a rookie from lack of play strength alone.

Edited May 15, 2020 by Krauser

[SteelKing728]

On 5/8/2020 at 11:36 AM, RpMc said:

It’s too bad Elflein looks like he won’t get back to his pre-injury trajectory 

Cleveland - 22, Elflein - 25, Bradbury - 24, Samia -  22, O’Neill - 24 (current ages, not in season ages) could have been a nice group for a few years. Maybe Udoh could slide into a spot somewhere. 

Does Spielman still value age in the draft? I recall this board having that discussion years ago.

[vikingsrule]

1 hour ago, SteelKing728 said:

Does Spielman still value age in the draft? I recall this board having that discussion years ago.

They took Bradbury last year, wasn’t he a 23 year old rookie.

[Krauser]

10 minutes ago, vikingsrule said:

They took Bradbury last year, wasn’t he a 23 year old rookie.

Bradbury was older, and so is Gladney.

Irv Smith Jr and Justin Jefferson are young. 

They've had a couple of great picks from drafting younger prospects (especially Hunter), but they haven't all panned out (especially Treadwell).

[SteelKing728]

So that theory doesn't really hold any water then I guess.

[whitehops]

1 hour ago, SteelKing728 said:

So that theory doesn't really hold any water then I guess.

i think in general, if player A and player B are the same talent level, the younger player gets a slight bump as a prospect. but that's only another factor in the equation, where character and stuff are probably more important factors. 

 

the only position where i'd say age is a big difference is with wide receivers. coming out as a senior is a big ding against a prospect, especially if you want to take them early. 

 

I also think teams may like younger running backs, but that's more from a workload perspective than from experience/physical ability. both Cook and Mattison were true juniors, for what it's worth.

EDIT: from a running back's perspective, it boggles my mind why any talented player would choose to play four years in college when your NFL career is already so short (like Travis Etienne). If finishing their degree is important to them then there are many options like taking courses during the summer. Mattison said during the pre-draft process that one reason he came out early is that he knows his career will be short so he wants to make the most of it. 

Edited May 17, 2020 by whitehops