SCOUTING REPORT: OT Brian O’Neill

PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 08: Brian O'Neill #70 of the Pittsburgh Panthers rushes for a 24-yard touchdown in the first half during the game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on October 8, 2016 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Ah, an extremely athletic, long-armed offensive tackle from the University of Pittsburgh who lacks technique and first showed up to Pitt to play a different position but got switched to tackle… sound familiar? I don’t blame any Vikings fan that shutters at that description of a tackle, considering we just went through that type of tackle in T.J. Clemmings just a year and a half ago. But despite the (too many) similarities between O’Neill and Clemmings, there are some key differences that should bode for better success (AKA any success at all) in the NFL for O’Neill. This pick, while I thought was poor value (O’Neill was my #125 player on my board, #13 OT, and had an early fifth round grade) seems to make sense based on what the Vikings have said they want to do with their line and in their offensive scheme.

 

Pass Protection

O’Neill shows exceptional foot speed on tape that promises quality results against speed rushers as he can beat them to the edge. He shows excellent pass protection in space and has a balanced stance, but struggles when that space is eaten up with more defenders (in other words, the narrower the space, the worse he struggles with balance). That athleticism advantage in pass protection is where most of the positives end for O’Neill. He has an inconsistent first step out of his stance and struggles getting deeper in pass sets and as a result, he too often has to flip his hips and loses any leverage that he initially had. He showed a mental aggression pass protection (but lacks on the physicality side of it) which is encouraging, but he far too often overcommitted to protecting the edge that the B-gap was left exposed for pass rushers.

 

Run Blocking

O’Neill showed some success in run blocking with the occasional ability to seal the edge for the runner. He has natural athletic ability to also block in space and get ahead of the runner to set key blocks upfield. He showed prowess in taking on defensive backs and did well at connecting blocks to players on the move. This aspect of his game seems to transition really well to the NFL, especially the Vikings scheme as we ask our linemen to do a lot of moving around. However, like his pass protection, his negatives are too long of a list. O’Neill, regardless of how the weight room affects him, will never be a power mauler lineman for the Vikings. He won’t ever be the guy that a running back can count on to push defenders out of the way near the goal line. That physicality (or lack thereof) will eventually come back to bite him in the NFL against stronger, semi-interior defensive linemen unless some work is done to improve technique and play strong.

 

Technique/Athleticism

There are absolutely no concerns regarding O’Neill’s athleticism (I have his pSPARQ rating in the 99th percentile for all tackles to play in the NFL), but his technique is one of the biggest issues I’m concerned regarding this pick. First off, with his athleticism, everything you see is what’s desired – he has a great wingspan and length, he has flexible hips, and he shows good mobility to move from stance to outside runs with an ability to block in space. That athleticism seems perfect for a zone blocking scheme where he can continually play to his strength as a blocker in space. Technique on the other hand is seriously lacking. His footwork falls apart whenever he has to start blocking in traffic and requires work on getting that more consistent. His hand placement is seriously lacking – he seems to not know proper hand technique. He shows very little regard for where he is putting his hands on the defender and when he does aim to land a punch on a defender, it ends with defenders getting out of blocks too easily. His next issue is in his extension with his arms as he frequently got caught completely extending his arms to try and keep pass rushers out of the pocket, but that leaves him in a position to get beat easily if he can’t recover quick enough. Finally, the issue that is most concerning for me is his lack of bend in his stance. He was too upright on tape frequently and needs to drop his pads in order to succeed in the NFL – that higher positioning of his pads kills any leverage he wants to use for functional power, since O’Neill struggles with power the way it is. It won’t matter if he bulks up in the weight room this offseason if he can’t get the proper leverage to use it. If he can work on dropping his pads, he can be set for the next few years in both the run and pass games as a force to be reckoned with.

 

NFL Comparison

Jason Spriggs, Offensive Tackle, Green Bay Packers

 

What Is His Role?

O’Neill fits in the Vikings system well – and actually it’s one of the few systems that would fit O’Neill (zone blocking scheme). His athleticism would allow for upfield blocks for Cook and would play well into the short distance, screen/short pass plays that look to be the focus of our offense with DeFilippo. What doesn’t make sense to me is that O’Neill does not solve the issue we had pre-draft. The Vikings needed someone to be able to plug and play into the offensive line so that we have a usable line for Cousins to throw behind, but instead we drafted O’Neill, who in my opinion is probably not a usable starter in year one, but perhaps could become the starter at either tackle slot in year three. All in all, the fit for scheme for O’Neill seems to be perfect, while the timing of the pick is counter-intuitive about whether he’s okay.

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