2015 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Texas A&M OT Cedric Ogbuehi
CEDRIC OGBUEHI- 6’5, 300- RS SR.
Texas A&M has turned their last two left tackles into top-ten NFL Draft picks: Luke Joeckel, who was taken by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the second pick in 2012, and Jake Matthews, who was taken by the Atlanta Falcons with pick six in 2013. This year, they have a good shot at a three-peat, as three-year starter Cedric Ogbuehi will take over the position and is arguably the top tackle in the draft.
Ogbuehi decided to stick around for his senior season despite the fact that the NFL Draft Advisory Board apparently gave him a first round projection. Like his predecessor Matthews, who put the NFL on hold to gain more experience, Ogbuehi will seek to establish himself as a left tackle after playing on the right side last season.
It should be exciting to see if Ogbuehi can continue to step up his performance in 2014. After transitioning from guard last year, he struggled with some things early on in the season, particularly handling edge rushers, but by the end of the season he had become dominant. If he can show this same level of skill on the left side, he could end up developing into a really special talent. He’ll face competition from players like Florida State’s Cameron Erving, Iowa’s Brandon Scherff, and LSU’s La’El Collins, but it’s easy to envision a scenario where Ogbuehi is the first tackle taken in next spring’s draft.
POSITIVES: Good footwork…Visibly strong and powerful, you can tell he has experience as a guard…Does a great job of moving laterally…Good knee bend…Made tremendous strides from first to last game of 2013, figured out how to handle edge rushers much more effectively and significantly increased his physicality.
NEGATIVES: Has yet to play left tackle at the college level, having played right guard for two years and then right tackle in 2013…Has had trouble with speed rushers off the edge…First step quickness is lacking at times…Not exceptionally physical, tends to catch on pass blocks…Struggles to effectively square up when blocking at the second level…an inch shorter than a prototypical left tackle, could stand to add more weight as well.
2014 Outlook: Ogbuehi will take over the Aggies’ prized left tackle position in 2014, though he almost surely won’t receive as much attention as his predecessors due to the departure of quarterback Johnny Manziel. Ogbuehi will face great competition week-in and week-out in the SEC, but he’ll face a particularly tough challenge against Ole Miss’s Robert Nkemdiche. Other draft prospects who Ogbuehi is projected to face this season include Arkansas’s Trey Flowers and Missouri’s Markus Golden.
Talent Grade: Early First Round
Rams Role: With the Rams having selected their left tackle of the future, Greg Robinson, with the number two overall pick in this year’s draft, it seems highly unlikely that they would go after another tackle in 2015. After all, the Rams will want to be outside of the top 15 picks in next year’s draft, and it’s highly unlikely that Ogbuehi will fall that far unless he has an absolutely terrible senior year.
Film Watched: vs. LSU (2013), vs. Missouri (2013), vs. Auburn (2013), vs. Rice (2013), vs. Duke (2013), vs. Ole Miss (2013), vs. Arkansas (2013)