Scouting the Seahawks' Draft class: OT Garrett Scott

As is usually the case during and after a John Schneider/Pete Carroll draft, there were a lot of "what?", "who?" and "from where"'s flying around twitter, as well as filling my email box throughout the course of last week, with regard to several of Seattle's selections - particularly in the mid-to-late rounds.

Thus, I thought I'd take some time to go back and look closer at several of these players myself, and then offer an in-depth scouting profile on each one, as I see them on tape.

These are in no particular order (because that's how I roll), but let's start with Garrett Scott, the offensive tackle out of Marshall.

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Garrett Scott
Offensive Tackle
Marshall
#76
6'5, 307lbs
5.07 40-yard dash
34 3/4-inch Arms

Strengths:

Superb length and proportion throughout, for an NFL tackle prospect. Demonstrates quick feet and an ability to maintain a wide base when kick-sliding in pass protection. Redirections without wasted motion, enabling him to mirror quick edge rushers on counter-moves. Utilizes 34-inch "plus" arms to keep rushers out of his frame, and exhibits quick, jarring "punch" to stall bull-rushers of all sizes.

When asked to fire off the line to the second level, shows nice first-step burst and balance through contact. Superb core strength is evident as he's often able to hold ground after being stood up by a well-leveraged power rush, rather than allowing the edge to collapse.  When able to establish low position in combat, Scott demonstrates impressive lower-half drive. Approaches each block with a "finisher's" mentality, and is not content to simply occupy his opponent.

Exhibits good recognition when multiple rushers are in his vicinity, and does a nice job of transferring stations with quickness and strong pop to keep more than one opponent at bay.

Weaknesses:

Is often times the last guy to move off the ball, resulting in a break of form in attempt to recover.  Gets too high in the pads when kick-sliding, disabling him from being able to consistently get under his opponent and establish controlling leverage. Despite good use of arm length and strong hands, struggles to consistently demonstrate good inside placement, leaving him susceptible to being tossed aside with a swim or hump move.

As a run-blocker, Scott often fails to square up at the second level, instead choosing to bend at the waist and throw a shoulder or lower his head into his target, leading to whiffs or an easy dodge for the defender.  Struggles to consistently absorb the rush with his lower half, appearing a bit stiff below the waste, and relying too heavily on his core and hands in battle.

Summary:

Pass-protectors who can rotate between the right and left sides are extremely hard to find, and Scott presents an NFL-caliber skill set to do so. Though he boasts impressive straight-line athleticism, he noticeably struggles when asked to break down and square up while on the move, making him a possible liability in Seattle's zone scheme initially. The good news is that he flashes the potential to get better in this area and his struggles are by no means the result of any glaring physical limitation.

The unique thing that really jumps out on tape is his understanding of when to be patient, versus when to drop the hammer on an opponent. He's aggressive, but controlled, and that's an ideal trait for a Tom Cable pupil.  He'll be an immediate competitor for the number two left tackle spot based on pass-protection alone, as he's probably as ready as anyone else on the roster to back up Okung as the blind-side protector, with higher upside than either Bailey or Bowie at that spot. The tools are there to be an eventual starter with some technical refinement and improvement in space.