Overview
Position: Offensive guard
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 309 pounds
School: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 5.00 seconds (fourth among offensive linemen)
Bench press: 34 reps (second among offensive linemen)
Vertical jump: 27.5 inches
Broad jump: 9 feet, 3 inches (tied for third among offensive linemen)
Three-cone drill: 7.55 seconds (tied for fifth among offensive linemen)
20-yard shuttle: 4.62 seconds
Forrest Lamp 2017 NFL Draft Profile
Among offensive line prospects, perhaps no one upped their stock as a result of the myriad pre-draft evaluation processes than Forrest Lamp. The Western Kentucky product impressed mightily both at the Senior Bowl and the Combine. As a result, he’s vaulted up draft boards and is now firmly on the radar of many an NFL team in need of an upgrade at guard.
Lamp hails from Venice, FL and hoped to stay in-state to play his college ball. But he came in at 265 pounds as a high school senior and didn’t receive much interest from the big time schools in the Sunshine State. Despite offers from Florida Atlantic and Florida International, Lamp decided to make the trek north in committing to WKU.
After redshirting, the coaching staff thrust Lamp into the spotlight right away. He started all 12 games as a redshirt freshman in 2013, including nine at left tackle. The following year, he emerged as one of Conference USA’s best linemen, earning all-league first team honors. He continued to dominate on the perimeter as a junior, with Pro Football Focus naming him the top tackle from a non-Power Five School in 2015. His senior season, much like the previous year, resulted in Western Kentucky winning the conference title as well as their bowl game.
All in all, Lamp made a total of 51 starts for the Hilltoppers across four seasons. And he earned third-team All-American honors by the Associated Press during his final year in Bowling Green.
Strengths
- four-year starter who already boasts immense experience on the line;
- immense upper body strength exemplified by bench press numbers at Combine;
- quickly engages target when run blocking;
- optimum knee flex gives him good pad level;
- flares laterally with quick footwork, enabling him to effectively mirror pass rushers;
- effectively resets hands to counter swim moves;
- held his own against Jonathan Allen, one of the top defensive line prospects in this year’s draft.
Weaknesses
- undersized arms will necessitate move from tackle to guard in the pros;
- could use a bit more thickness on frame to hold up against NFL-level physicality;
- needs to play with a wider base or he’ll get out-leveraged more often than not;
- tends to lean too far forward at times in pass protection;
- lateral movement can get stubby at times; needs more width in his kicks;
- can get caught on an island in zone blocking situations.
NFL Comparison: Joe Thuney
Teams With Need at Position: Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins
Projection: late first round
Bottom Line
Lamp spent most of his time in college setting the edge on the blind side. But his short arms will mean a transition to guard in the pros, a move that quite a few current NFL players have made with great success. Thuney is an example with the New England Patriots, but other examples include Kelechi Osemele, Marshal Yanda, Justin Pugh, Ali Marpet, Brandon Scherff among others.
Figuring in his experience, skill set and Combine measurables, Lamp checks all the boxes as a potential instant impact player at the next level. He held his own against elite level team speed in college when matched up against SEC opponents. Though he’ll need to reestablish comfort with the interior of the offensive line, all indications are that he has what it takes to compete for starting reps right off the bat.
