Bryce Hargrove NFL Draft Overview
Position: Interior Offensive Line
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 310 Lbs.
School: University of Pittsburgh
Pro Day Performance Data
40-yard dash: 5.46
Vertical jump: 27”
Broad jump: 8’1”
225 Lb. Bench Reps: 26
Bryce Hargrove 2021 NFL Draft Profile
Bryce Hargrove is a physical guard with good size and surprising movement skills, making him a solid NFL Draft target. Hargrove, a two-year starter out of Pitt, comes in with a solid career in the books. Hargrove was a part of a pretty talented line group with his Panthers peers. Teammate Jimmy Morrissey, who manned the center position, is another late-round target in this year’s class. He earned Honorable Mention All-ACC after his senior season in 2020.
Overall, he graded out as the 100th-ranked guard in college football, with a 67.8 mark from Pro Football Focus. However, his 82.1 pass-blocking grade, ranked as the 30th-best figure in the college game. With technical refinement possible in the run game given his speed, his pass-blocking is already impressive. However, a poor performance at his pro day reduced Hargrove’s ability to prove his athleticism. He posted a relative athletic score of just 3.9, with only his size the only solid mark.
In general, the best thing for Hargrove’s career will be technical refinement. Possessing all the intangibles for the guard position, his technique is a little lacking. Granted, Hargrove was recruited as a three-star defensive end and only kicked in to guard with the Panthers. Interestingly, Hargrove received offers from Harvard, Yale, and Cornell before committing to Pittsburgh. Regardless of his recruiting status, his experience at the defensive end did give him some solid combat skills.
Strengths
- His initial punches look devastating to defenders;
- Hard to move off his block;
- Shows the ability to recover well in pass blocking;
- Never looks overmatched by top-tier competition;
- Plays fast and shows great movement in short space;
- Blows defenders off the ball right from the snap;
- Finishes blocks and gets defenders on the turf;
- Overpowers smaller, second-level defenders.
Weaknesses
- Doesn’t always get hands in the right place;
- Gets up too high out of his stance;
- Struggles to use hands to lock in defenders;
- Seems to waste some movement in an attempt to set frame;
- Looks disengaged when plays get off schedule;
- Pass blocking skills could use refinement.
NFL Comparison: Justin Murray
Teams With Need at Position: Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals
Projection: Sixth Round
Bottom Line on Bryce Hargrove
If teams are willing to overlook his poor pro day and technical lag, Bryce Hargrove is an appealing prospect. Certainly, what he showed in testing is worse than what he showed at game speed. Plus, his combat skills and physicality are likable traits in a young, development-level guard. Some teams might see him as too raw of a prospect and keep him off their draft board.
However, there’s a market for trainable players with upside like Hargrave. There’s no doubt that he needs to make technical improvements. Still, the leaps he made in just four years at Pitt show his high-ceiling potential. Currently, Hargrove is not capable of starting in the NFL or really staying on the field. Regardless, a few years of professional development could make Hargrove a promising future player.
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