Overview
Position: Offensive tackle
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 315 pounds
School: Washington State Cougars
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.96 seconds (fourth-best among offensive linemen)
Bench press: 24 reps
Vertical jump: 29 inches
Broad jump: 118 inches (best among offensive linemen)
Three-cone drill: 7.44 seconds (second-best among offensive linemen)
20-yard shuttle: 4.40 seconds (best among offensive linemen)
Andre Dillard 2019 NFL Draft Profile
The NFL is trending more and more to a pass-happy league and edge rushers are at an all-time best right now. The freakish combo of size and speed that edge rushers now possess make offensive tackles that much more important to all 32 NFL teams. NFL tackles not only need to be big and strong but they need to athletic as well. One of the most athletic tackles in this year’s draft class is Andre Dillard out of Washington State.
Dillard is from Woodinville, WA and played at Woodinville High School. The offensive tackle was a three-year starter and as a senior, earned first team all-county and all-area honors. Dillard was named KingCo 4A Crest Division offensive linemen of the year and was ranked as a two-star prospect by ESPN, the sixth overall prospect in the state of Washington. Dillard followed his father’s footsteps, who played for the Cougars in the 1980s and committed to Washington State after his senior year.
Dillard redshirted in 2014 and wound up playing in three games in 2015. As a redshirt sophomore, Dillard took over the starting position at left tackle and started 13 games. In Dillard’s junior year, the left tackle started 13 games and earned all-Pac-12 Honorable Mention honors. Dillard put himself on the map with a stellar senior year and finished the season as a third-team All-American by the Associated Press. Pro Football Focus College ranked him as the best pass blocking tackle in the nation after allowing just one sack on 677 snaps. Dillard participated in the Senior Bowl and had a great week of practice dominating the one-on-one periods against the likes of Montez Sweat and Jaylon Ferguson. He went on to have a very good combine performance which has the tackle’s stock on the rise.
Strengths
- elite speed and athleticism for the position;
- has a very quick first kick step;
- possesses very fluid hips;
- footwork is very polished, almost never caught off balance;
- times punches very well;
- has very strong hands and keeps separation once he locks onto pass rusher;
- maintains good balance and strength once he sets his anchor;
- has good awareness and picks up defensive stunts with ease;
- does not get pushed around versus bull rush;
- runs speed rushes wide off course from quarterback;
- quick in the open field on screens and gadget plays;
- athleticism allows him to get to the second level with efficiency;
- three-year starter at left tackle;
Weaknesses
- played in a very pass-happy offense at Washington State;
- needs better hand placement to improve leverage generating ability;
- could do a better job redirecting rushers away from quarterback;
- limited experience in run blocking;
- needs to improve overall strength;
Player Comparison: Taylor Lewan
NFL Teams With a Need at the Position: Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles
Projection: Top 25 overall
Bottom Line
Dillard is a freakishly athletic offensive tackle that has tons of versatility. In the present day NFL, offenses feature plenty of gadget plays like screens, misdirections, and reverses. Dillard’s versatility and athleticism will allow offensive coordinators to open up their playbook. Not only that, Dillard’s ability in the pass blocking game will allow coaches to not worry about edge rushers on that side of the formation. There is a lot to like in Dillard’s game and there is a good chance an NFL team will trade up to select the offensive tackle come Thursday night of the draft.
