Colton McKivitz 2020 NFL Draft Profile
Teams always look for that offensive lineman with a nasty edge and powerful hands, look no further than West Virginia’s Colton McKivitz. The Mountaineer was a three-year starter and two-year captain for coach Bruce Stiles at Union Local High. McKivitz was a three-time The Times Leader All-Star Football Team (2012-14), earning captain honors in 2014. He was also listed on the 2014 Associated Press Division V All-Ohio First Team and was selected to the All-Ohio Valley Athletic Conference First Team from 2012 to 2014. In addition to his football skills, McKivitz starred on the hardwood, earning all-state honors in 2014. McKivitz committed to West Virginia after high school.
College
After red-shirting his first season in 2015, Colton McKivitz played in 13 games at tackle and started 10. He was a member of an offensive line that was No. 2 in the Big 12 in fewest sacks allowed and helped pave the way for the offense to average 485.5 yards per game of total offense. In his sophomore year, he started 13 games at tackle. McKivitz led the way for 1,000-yard rusher Justin Crawford, the third consecutive season the Mountaineers have had a 1,000-yard rusher, a 3,000-yard passer and two 1,000-yard receivers. As a junior, he started 12 games at right tackle and paved the way for the offense to average 512.3 yards of total offense per game, ranking No. 2 in the Big 12 and No. 8 nationally. That offense averaged 40.3 points per game, No. 2 in the Big 12 and No. 10 nationally.
As a senior, he started all 12 games, all at left tackle. McKivitz was one of three Mountaineer offensive players to start every game. When he left school, McKivitz had a long list of accomplishments. He was named to the 2019 All-Big 12 Conference First Team and participated in the Senior Bowl. McKivitz was also named to the 2019 Associated Press All-America Third Team.
Strengths
- Strong Hands;
- Highly experienced;
- Gets under opponent’s skin;
- Can limit Edge speed;
- A real dog in the trenches;
- High Acceleration off the ball.
Weaknesses
- Issues with consistency against blocks;
- Initial pop is lacking;
- Has to be faster with hands;
- Struggles to create movement;
- Displays tightness;
- Overthinks the blocking at times.
Bottom Line on Colton McKivitz
Colton McKivitz is a typical late-round tackle prospect with below-average arm length and average athleticism. His best position will be a right tackle. He does have ideal size to handle pass rushers in the NFL. He’s got good natural strength that will appeal to coaches and use him as a swing tackle. He moves well enough to handle blocking in space and his work ethic will be a welcome addition.
However, he has lower body tightness which hinders leverage both as a drive blocker and in his pass anchor. He is sometimes put in situations where he has to block more than one player and he struggles with that. Coaches will need to fix his footwork and help him utilize his strength in different areas other than power blocking. Teams won’t find any red flags with him and he is worth a late-round flier.
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