Solomon Kindley Overview
Position: Guard
Height: 6’-3”
Weight: 337 pounds
School: Georgia
Solomon Kindley won’t be the first guard off the board in the NFL Draft. After a breakout 2018, the Georgia product wasn’t able to perfectly replicate his success a redshirt Junior. This wasn’t to say he as bad, as he was still better than most of his peers. According to Pro Football Focus, Kindley allowed two sacks, three hits, and four hurries in 350 pass-blocking snaps during his final year at school.
Kindley initially joined Georgia as a three-star recruit, according to 24/7 Sports. Initially signed as a tackle, the Jacksonville native sat out the entirety of his true freshman season. In 2017, the former tackle switched positions and spent the year at right guard. The results left something to be desired, as Kindley finished his season with two sacks, four hits, and five hurries on just 181 pass-blocking snaps.
The Bulldogs moved Kindley from the right side of the line to the left in 2018, and that led to the best season of his collegiate career. Playing in a career-high 370 pass-blocking snaps, Kindley didn’t allow a single sack and only surrendered one hit and five hurries during his time on the field.
Strengths
- Has experience at both sides of the offensive line;
- Raw strength to push around smaller defenders with size alone;
- Physical player that always plays through to the whistle;
- Ideal size for the position;
- Dangerous in the second level when he squares up a defender.
Weaknesses
- Slow out of his stance and can be beat by speed;
- Relied on size alone to win in college – this probably won’t work against bigger, more athletic NFL competition;
- Struggles to keep balance, especially when moving laterally;
- Isn’t a fit for zone blocking schemes;
- Peaked in 2018;
- Fundamentally flawed with his feet and hand placement;
- Doesn’t project as depth at center or tackle;
- Could probably stand to lose a few pounds.
NFL Comparison: Jon Feliciano
Teams With Need at Position: Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks
Projection: 6th-7th rounds
Bottom Line on Solomon Kindley
Solomon Kindley probably won’t have much of a career in the NFL. The Georgia product had some success at the collegiate level, but most of what he’s good at doesn’t translate to the NFL. Kindley won primarily due to his excessive size and strength, but that won’t work in the NFL when everyone is bigger and faste. He’s slow out of his stance and doesn’t always use ideal hand placement or footwork to maximize the effect of his blocks. This will get exploited at the next level unless he dramatically improves his technique at the NFL level.
This may sound harsh, but he has a few interesting traits coaches are going to like. For one, he does have the ideal NFL size and build, even if he could lose to stand a few pounds. Additionally, he held his own against Javon Kinlaw, which means he does have the potential to stand up to NFL-caliber competition. You can’t teach size, but you can teach fundamentals. Some organization is going to bring in Kindley and see if they can teach him the nuances of the position while keeping his weight up. If they can do that, then perhaps he can carve out a solid NFL career. This is an admittedly big if, but it’s worth a shot in the later rounds.
Main photo:
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