GAC I really really hope so. I just don’t see it. He’s soft as butter unfortunately. Maybe playing beside Becton will make him look better though. I just can’t believe JD wasted both our 3s + 23... he better be a pro bowler at that price. Nothing about AVT screams stud.. absolutely nothing.. to boot he’s from USC and I don’t need to tell you how those first rounders turned out.. with so many holes and better prospects on the board this move reeks of desperation. I fancy myself more a QB guy but I know a good OL when I see one and AVT isn’t it
well JD has done good so far and is a former offensive lineman. plus for regular people like us lineman are very hard to scout. not much film on them at all. even at the NFL level we just don't have access to track lineman like we do other positions. You just gotta trust JD in this one. also remember he's versatile. he played RG in 2018, LG in 2019, and LT in 2020. that's tough to do and he is likely a LG in the NFL. also remember we want lineman who fit our scheme and he's a perfect fit If I look around the web this is what I see on him PFF rated 21st overall (but they rate on positional importance not straight talent which knocks him down a bit) graded him an 81.8 on the season draft network Alijah Vera-Tucker has aligned predominantly at left tackle this season for the Trojans offense. He has exceptional athleticism, as evidenced by his balance and body control in his pass set. He is an easy mover who demonstrates his athleticism in the passing game, particularly in his kick slide. He plays with very good competitiveness when he is bull rushed. In the run game, he comes off the ball hard to strike and he excels by getting his body in favorable positions. He’s played this year at left tackle, affording him much more value due to his ability to play that position in a pinch at the next level. Ideal Role: Starting left guard in the NFL. Scheme Fit: A zone blocking scheme would suit this player’s skill set. However, he is athletic enough to adapt to any scheme. NFL.com (best IOL and 4th best lineman overall) 6.43 grade (will be a starter in first 2 seasons) By Lance Zierlein NFL Analyst Draft Projection Round 1 NFL Comparison Will Hernandez Overview Ascending wide-body with powerful hands and above-average core strength, allowing him to play with good balance and control the action around him. He's not a forklift-style drive blocker, but he does have the frame and natural strength to improve in that area if he can play with a little better pad level. Vera-Tucker is adept at catching and tagging moving targets in space. His effective play at left tackle in 2020 might create some buzz about him making that a permanent position if teams are OK with his lack of prototype length. He's a plus in pass pro and solid as a run blocker. Strengths Wide, thick frame with burly lower body and plus upper-body and core strength. Able to step out and play tackle effectively if a team needs it. Adequate athletic talent to pull and trap. Big man with impressive reactive adjustments on second level. Hip-to-hip on double-team blocks. Displays his recovery talent when he's cross-faced. Hands are strong and his placement is consistently accurate. Plays under control. Rips a stiff punch directly into rusher's frame. Gets to full extension with inside hands. Can clinch and mirror rusher in putting his rush plan in the deep freeze. Substantial anchor to eat a bull rush. Quick to process twists and alter assignment. Weaknesses Pad level can get away from him off the snap. Needs better drop and pop to move the nose with down blocks. Below-average creating engagement momentum with settle steps. Average sink and push to clear debris. Narrow drive base causes him to fall off blocks against surly two-gappers. Needs to keep working on hand resets when he loses positioning. Needs to tighten up footwork in run and passing games. Sources Tell Us "He was good (in 2019) as a guard and he looked even better (in 2020) as a tackle! I wouldn't be shocked if teams looked at him as a tackle because he's tough and athletic and he's longer than people expect for his height." -- Director of college scouting for AFC team BBV Prospect: Alijah Vera-Tucker Games Watched: vs. BYU (2019), vs. Arizona State (2020), vs. UCLA (2020), vs. Oregon (2020) Red Flags: Hamstring (2020) Measurables Quick Summary Best: Play strength, leverage, competitive toughness, technique, versatility Worst: Length, range in pass protection Projection: A starting guard or center with scheme versatility. Game Tape (Vera-Tucker is LG number 75) Full Report USC offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker has a good blend of size, power, athleticism, and competitive toughness to play on the offensive interior at the NFL level. Vera-Tucker primarily aligned as a guard in his time at USC, first backing up the right guard position as a red-shirt freshman, then starting 13 games as their left guard. He spent most of USC’s abbreviated 2020 season at left tackle, moving to the position to help the team. Vera-Tucker has good lower-body flexibility, sitting easily into his stance and playing with good initial leverage after the snap. He is a natural knee bender who plays with a wide base as well as good hip and pad level throughout the play. That leverage serves to unlock his natural play strength, and he is able to create movement off the line of scrimmage as a run blocker or easily absorb bullrushes. Vera-Tucker has good athleticism for an interior blocker, easily able to match interior pass rushers. He is agile enough to deal with stunts, twists, and blitzes, as well as be an effective pulling guard or blocker in space. He has enough play strength to be an effective man-gap blocker as well as the athleticism to execute in outside zone schemes, giving him good schematic versatility. Vera-Tucker’s hands can be a bit inconsistent. For the most part he has heavy and active hands, timing his strikes well with his step for maximum power. Sometimes, however, his hands can be wild, particularly when he is trying to cover more ground than usual laterally. In those cases his hands can be late, low or wide, and he can both fail to gain inside leverage on defenders as well as give up his own chest plate. That being said, he has very good grip strength once he establishes his blocks and works to sustain them through the whistle. He also shows great competitive toughness throughout the play, and a definite “nasty” streak when blocking at the second level or in space. He appears to relish bullying linebackers or defensive backs. While Vera-Tucker was far from a liability at offensive tackle, he likely lacks the foot quickness and range to stay at the position full time in the NFL. He also struggled against EDGE defenders who were long, athletic, or technically polished. Those players could either get their hands on Vera-Tucker first, stress him with speed, or neutralize his hands with their technique. In those cases, they were able to slip past him and disrupt plays in the backfield. While it didn’t happen often at the NFL level, players with technical refinement and elite physical traits are much more common in the professional ranks. Overall Grade: 9.0 - This prospect has first round traits to be an immediate starter with scheme diversity and positional versatility. RAS
