Damien Lewis Overview
Position: Interior Offensive Line
Height: 6’-2”
Weight: 327 pounds
School: LSU
NFL Combine Performance Data
40-Yard Dash: 5.24 seconds
Bench Press: 27 reps
Vertical Jump: 30.0”
Broad Jump: 108.0”
Damien Lewis 2020 NFL Draft
After spending his final two years of eligibility at LSU, offensive lineman Damien Lewis is taking his talents to the NFL level. The Mississippi native is coming off arguably the best collegiate season of his career, allowing four sacks, three quarterback hits, and seven hurries in 963 total snaps.
To say Damien Lewis was overlooked coming out of high school is the understatement of the century. Astonishingly enough, Lewis was unranked and received no interest from Division 1 collegiate programs. Thanks to the lack of interest, Lewis spent two seasons with Northwest Mississippi Community College. During his time at junior college, Lewis earned two separate All-America selections and was the second-best JUCO guard in 2018, according to 247Sports. LSU took interest in the Mississippi native, and Lewis earned the starting job in 2018. During his first season in the SEC, Lewis played in 987 snaps while allowing one sack, one quarterback hit, and six hurries.
Strengths
- Big, rotund lineman that is hard to move;
- Went up against some of the best competition in the country and held his own;
- Absolute force in the run game;
- Never takes a play off and always plays through the whistle;
- NFL-caliber athleticism;
- Keeps base wide to produce maximum power on blocks.
Weaknesses
- Slow feet lead to issues in pass protection;
- Not a great lateral mover and is somewhat scheme-specific;
- NFL linebackers could get past him with speed in the run game;
- Struggles to pick up blitzers and pass up his blocks;
- Not a dealbreaker, but arm length is shorter than you’d like.
NFL Comparison: Joe Looney
Teams With Need at Position: Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks
Projection: Late 3rd/Early 4th
Bottom Line on Damien Lewis
Damien Lewis might not be able to do everything at a high level, but he excels at certain portions of the game. It’s hard to think of an interior lineman more ferocious in the run game, as he uses all of his 327 pounds to push around defenders like they’re nothing. He’s always seeking out contact and plays through the whistle, rarely losing a rep and always opening rushing lanes. He proved he can hold his own against the best college football has to offer, so he should be able to handle the transition from college to the pros.
However, teams running a pass-heavy offense should probably look somewhere else. Lewis has slow feet and doesn’t move well laterally, which means he can often get exposed as a pass blocker. This is going to be an issue for a lot of teams, as passing is far more efficient than running. Additionally, his lack of lateral agility could be an issue in zone blocking schemes and if he’s utilized as a pull guard on run plays. Overall though, he should be a serviceable starter for most teams and an above-average one for a run-heavy offense.
Main photo:
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