Overview
Position: Offensive Tackle
Height: 6’6”
Weight: 325 pounds
School: Michigan State Spartans
Jack Conklin 2016 NFL Draft Profile
Jack Conklin has one of those feel – good stories that makes people enjoy following college sports. Conklin didn’t have one of those highly publicized national signing day experiences when he was a high school senior. In fact, he had zero scholarship offers from FBS level colleges. Later that Spring, Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio offered Conklin a preferred walk on spot with the Spartans and Conklin spent the next four years rewarding his new college coach for that faith.
By midway through his redshirt season in the Fall of 2012, Conklin had earned a scholarship with Michigan State. By the second game of the 2013 season he was starting on the offensive line and the rest is family lore. He started three games at right tackle that redshirt freshman season and 10 at left tackle, where he would eventually become a critical fixture for Michigan State. In his sophomore season he made enough improvement to be named second team All Big 10.
In his junior season, he missed two games with a minor leg injury, but still recorded 65 knockdowns at left tackle. He anchored the offensive line that held Penn State without a sack for the only game all season and was rewarded with first team AP All American status for his work. Now comes the payoff, as he declared for the draft after his redshirt junior year.
Strengths
- Reliable
- Finishes blocks
- Good pass blocker
- Good low body strength and balance
- Works well in combo blocks
- Consistent
Weaknesses
- Heavy mover/not light on his feet
- Very average range
- Lack of lateral quickness
- Struggles against edge rush
NFL Comparison: Andrew Whitworth, Cincinnati Bengals
Teams with Need at Position: Tennessee Titans, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles
Projection: Mid 1st round
Bottom Line
Conklin has the skill set to secure a first round spot in the draft. He clearly possess the work ethic, comi9ng from an unknown to one of the better offensive linemen in the country. The challenge for Conklin comes with his mobility issues. He does well in tight spaces but is not as mobile in open space. That makes him really good in pass blocking and straight up run blocking, but deficient when it comes to stunt blocking. It is hard to make someone faster, but the team that takes him will have to teach him quick twitch techniques to gloss over that one shortcoming. As we have said in other profiles, this draft is one of the most stocked in recent memory when it comes to offensive and defensive linemen. There are a lot of teams with early picks who need offensive linemen, but there are also three to four offensive linemen likely to go ahead of Conklin. That is not a knock on him as much as it is a sign that this year’s draft is more about interior linemen than it is skill position players. With that in mind, it is conceivable to see Philadelphia taking him at 13. Either way, based on what he did in East Lansing, it iss easy to see how he is going to reward the next team that shows faith in him.
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