NFL Draft 2021: Top 10 LA Rams prospects from the Big-12

Offensive guard

The ninth player to be considered from the Big 12 football conference is an offensive guard from Texas Tech named Jack Anderson (5.85-grade per NFL.com). He is another player whose value is all over the map.

This 6-foot-5 314-pound interior offensive lineman has been projected as high as a day-two prospect, and as late as an undrafted free agent. So what are the day-two projections saying? In those draft profiles, the emphasis is on the young man’s versatility to play at either guard or center on the offensive line.  Described as very powerful, blessed with a solid skillset, balance, and tremendous collegiate experience.

Less complimentary draft profiles cite his 2019 shoulder injury (yes, a medical flag), sometimes shows bad mechanics at the point of attack (wide step, lunging, bad footwork). Perhaps the source of the lower value is the uniform mention of his lack of core strength. That weakness is often cited as triggering the bad mechanics, or as Chad Reuter states in his NFL.com draft profile: “Lack of core power leaves him fighting to hang on.”

Players emerging from college should be expected to get coaching in the NFL. Anderson is a mean-spirited snarler on the offensive line. He is not quite the blue-chip prospect quite yet, but you can almost see from his video footage that he doesn’t take getting beaten on a player lightly. He played mostly guard at the Senior Bowl. But the Rams will likely look to use him at several spots on the offensive line.