Missouri Tigers: Could Nate Crawford be Mizzou’s Next Great Offensive Lineman?
Since the Missouri Tigers lost senior left tackle Mitch Morse, while no one stood out at the right tackle position during 2014, they’ll once again be forced to break in two offensive tackles at new positions during 2015. This is the second straight year that the Tigers will be breaking in new starters on both sides; however, unlike in 2014, when Mitch Morse was able to slide over from right tackle to the left side, Mizzou will be faced with more inexperience this season.
Connor McGovern, who is expected to take over for Morse at left tackle, got brief experience at right tackle last season, starting the first four games there before kicking back inside to his natural position of guard for the rest of the season. McGovern, who openly expressed a desire to stay at guard during the spring, will hope to get more comfortable during his second shot at playing tackle.
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On the right, meanwhile, there’s more inexperience, but there’s even more opportunity for a great player to develop along the Tigers’ offensive line. Though he’s still facing competition from guys like fellow redshirt sophomore Clay Rhodes and junior college transfer Malik Cuellar, the Tigers’ projected starter at right tackle for the 2015 season is converted defensive lineman Nate Crawford. The 6-foot-5, 300-pounder moved from defensive tackle to the offensive line in 2014, though as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch‘s Dave Matter detailed on Friday, Crawford was initially apprehensive about the move.
After winning Mizzou’s “Most Improved Offensive Lineman” award this spring and earning the inside track for a starting job, however, the move looks to have paid off for Crawford. We’ve seen several high-profile players make the move from the defensive to offensive line in recent years and have it pay tremendous dividends, whether it be at the college level (Pittsburgh and now Minnesota Vikings tackle T.J. Clemmings) or in the pros (Seattle Seahawks guard J.R. Sweezy). Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable has gone so far as to say he’d rather coach a converted defensive lineman than a player who’s spent his entire career playing offense (granted, that was in the process of criticizing the spread offenses that Mizzou and many other college programs utilize).
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As offensive coordinator Josh Henson told Matter in Friday’s P-D feature, Crawford is a driven, high-motor player that truly has the will to succeed:
"“He’s played with an attitude,” Henson added. “He’s played with a chip on his shoulder. He’s just such a great person. He wants to be good. He’s got a great desire for playing the game.”"
While Crawford may not have the elite quick-twitch athleticism off the snap that a converted end like Clemmings could take advantage of, his closing speed and ability to finish the play should be something that provides him an advantage as a run blocker. As evidenced by his high school highlight tape below, Crawford is a physical, high-effort player who should fit in nicely along Mizzou’s offensive line.
After sending very few offensive linemen to the NFL through the first 13 seasons of Gary Pinkel’s stint in Columbia, the Tigers have become somewhat of a pipeline for the NFL up front in recent years. Guard Tony Palmer (seventh round, St. Louis Rams, 2006) and offensive tackle Colin Brown (fifth round, Kansas City Chiefs, 2009) were the only Mizzou linemen drafted from the time Pinkel took over in 2001 until 2013. Since then, though, the Tigers have had their left tackle selected in the second round of the draft in back-to-back years, with Justin Britt going to the Seattle Seahawks in 2014 and Morse being selected by the Chiefs in this year’s draft.
So while it would obviously be inappropriate to peg Crawford as a future NFLer before he’s even started a college game, the odds would definitely be in his favor as far as recent history. If Crawford can hold onto his starting job for the next three years, as Morse and Britt did, and perhaps move over to the left side as his career progresses, he’ll have one of the best possible platforms to prove himself for the next level by starting against tough SEC opponents on a weekly basis.
Despite adjustments in recent years to inject more of the hard-nosed physicality into their offense that is a staple of many other SEC programs, Mizzou offensive linemen still don’t have as much opportunity to drive block and run defenders into the ground as many other linemen in the conference do. With that said, the Tigers’ linemen always seem to stand out for their superior athleticism and exceptional discipline as pass blockers, so if Crawford keeps progressing, he definitely has a chance to go places.