Blake Freeland NFL Draft 2023: Scouting Report for Indianapolis Colts' OT

HEIGHT: 6'8"

WEIGHT: 302

HAND: 10"

ARM: 33 7/8"

WINGSPAN: 81 7/8"

40-YARD DASH: 4.98

3-CONE: 7.46

SHUTTLE: 4.71

VERTICAL: 37"

BROAD: 10'0"

POSITIVES

— Can effectively track, line up and fit into contact on screens and at the second level on climbs

— Works well in unison with his left guard on zone combo blocks to timely overtake and release

— Shows adequate to solid initial and lateral quickness to cut off the backside of outside zone

— Uses independent hands in pass-protection with a strong inside hand presence to latch and widen rushers up the arc

NEGATIVES

— Plays with marginal leverage and pad level

— Below-average physicality with a tendency to fit into contact rather than explode or drive to finish with power

— Average change-of-direction and redirect skills that leave him a tick late cutting off moves across his face

— Helped extensively in pass-protection with scheme and chip help

— Gains little if any ground out of his stance in pass-protection that causes him to drop his outside foot and swing his hips open early against speed off of the edge, resulting in narrow base and short corner

2023 STATISTICS

— 13 starts at left tackle

— Third team AP All-American selection

NOTES

— Former 3-star tight end/defensive end recruit out of Herriman High School in Utah

— Was a standout athlete at Herriman with state titles in the shot put and javelin, an all-state selection in baseball and a three-time team captain of the football team. Freeland also holds the 6A Utah state record in the javelin throw

— His father (football), mother (basketball) and sister (track and field) were athletes at BYU

— 41 career starts split between each tackle spot; 26 at LT and 15 at RT

— Set the combine record for offensive linemen in the vertical with a jump of 37"

— Accepted an invite to the 2023 Reese's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama

OVERALL

Blake Freeland is a four-year starter inside BYU's RPO/screen heavy offense and zone-heavy run game with 41 career starts at both tackle spots, including 13 starts at left tackle in 2022. He has a tall, narrow and high-cut frame with good arm length and solid athletic ability.

Freeland gains minimal ground out of his stance as a pass-protector and benefits from a quick passing game with extensive RPOs, screens and chip help from backs and tight ends. He is able to engulf rushers using his towering height and length on RPOs and play-action and uses independent hands to work combination strikes to help stay balanced. On true drop-back passes against widely aligned rushers his footwork becomes problematic as he quickly has to open his hips and drop his outside foot to protect the corner, simultaneously resulting in a narrow base and short corner. Coupled with an upright, high playing style, this leads to a tardy anchor against speed to power with a habit of dropping his head into contact.

Freeland is a functional zone run blocker with solid overall quickness and good understanding of fits and timing to overtake and release on combo blocks and cut off the backside 4i or 3-technique defensive tackle. He is graceful on the move in a straight line and can close space on smaller targets to cover them up but will struggle breaking down in space and redirecting on the fly.

Overall, Freeland is an experienced but largely untested tackle prospect who is a functional zone run-blocker with a large frame and some eye-popping testing numbers, but he has sluggish footwork in pass-protection with middling leverage or power that will make it difficult to carve out more than a backup role in the NFL.

GRADE: 5.8 (Backup or Draftable/Rounds 6-7)

OVERALL RANK: 191

POSITION RANK: OT11

PRO COMPARISON: Conor McDermott

Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn