No he’ll be a RT for us. It’s his natural position. A tad slow footed but an unbelievably powerful man. A ton of experience for him as a 3 year starter I believe. This pick makes a ton of sense. He’s a pure RT and now we can kick Hunt inside and our OL is solidified besides Center. Miami traded up to get him. That tells you how much they like him. We are getting extremely talented players who have played a ton of football while also filling our biggest needs. We are crushing this draft.
Definitely. He's got the frame of a right tackle, the playing style of a right tackle, and not enough pass blocking width to remain at left tackle.
Trading up was excellent. Make a commitment and pick as often as possible within the first 40 picks or thereabouts. I have emphasized that for years. The general manager doesn't have to be great if he's picking often in that range. It's difficult to consistently screw up.
I wanted nothing to do with Jenkins. That's why I was thrilled with Holland first then certainty of taking a tackle next. Hunt is the only player this regime has drafted within the first two rounds who was not either a 5 star recruit or 4 star recruit. It needs to remain that way. They tried to bend the big picture logic with 3-star Deiter in the third round and properly got burned with a mediocrity befitting 3 star status. That needs to remain a cheap lessen stamped in memory. Don't make exceptions. Elite programs and blue chip recruits.
Tonight I wasn't thrilled with 3 star Hunter Long in the third round when so many fantastic athletes were still sitting there. Grier seems to think he only has to extend the formula through two rounds then he can subjectively amuse himself in the third round and beyond. Meanwhile the sharper general managers are still allowing top talent to fall to them, regardless of position.
I watched the Notre Dame/Clemson regular season meeting last season and remember focusing on Eichenberg occasionally. He was totally in control and methodically doing his job. Already looked like a pro. That's what stood out to me. Very smart player, just like Holland. There was no sense of awe of the moment. It was the high scoring game with Lawrence out due to COVID.
IMO, Eichenberg is somewhat of a monotone player. That's the only knock I could come up with, if you can call it that. He's not going to wow you like Kindley with sudden energy on a run block. Every play looks more or less the same. I tend to agree with another poster in this thread that no matter the college reputation, I think Eichenberg projects best to pass blocker not run blocker in the NFL. I don't see him as explosive enough to dominate in the run game. But his mobility and smarts are fine for pass blocking, especially on the right side.
Don't ignore the significance of those 3-cone and shuttle numbers for Eichenberg. Fantastic. The highly rated tackles who have flopped and been forced to move inside -- Greg Robinson, Flowers, Fluker, etc -- had mobility issues. They either failed the agility drills or in Flowers' case refused to take them. Eichenberg excels in those areas. He does have troubling short arms, although the wingspan numbers are not horrible so he must have sufficient shoulders. That 34 inch arm length standard for tackles dates to Gil Brandt and the Cowboys. I'd say it was overly ambitious and has been repeated for too long. They didn't know about the agility tests in those days. I'd say 33 or 33.5 is probably a better guideline and if you have excellent lateral movement the low end is acceptable. There will be an occasional play where Eichenberg's arm length is noticeable and problematic.
Although I don't like the lower rated recruits or small school guys, I have to say the brief highlights of the North Dakota State kid drafted later in that round looked very good and quite tempting. I don't know anything about him but based on those highlights he might have been someone I would have considered along with Eichenberg.
