Jake Andrews NFL Draft Overview
Position: Center
Height: 6′-3″
Weight: 305 pounds
School: Troy
2023 NFL Draft: Jake Andrews Scouting Report
Jake Andrews began his college football career at Troy University in Troy, Alabama in 2018. In that season Andrews played in three games and was utilized as a blocking tight end, and was credited with one knock-down block. After the 2018 season, Andrews was granted redshirt status.
In his second season at Troy, Andrews played in all 12 games at three different positions along the offensive line (both guard positions and center). The following year, Andrews started all 11 games for the Trojans, at right guard. After solidifying himself as the starting right guard in 2020, Andrews maintained the starting for all 12 of Troy’s games in 2021.
In his final season in 2022, Andrews started all 14 games for the Trojans, at center, transitioning from his familiar right guard position, which he had started for the previous 23 games over the prior two seasons.
Strengths
- Gets into his opponent with pop, immediately off the snap of the ball;
- Maintains his base of support, which allows him to drive and control his opponent;
- Frequently cleans out edge rushers;
- If he meets resistance, anchors himself to reload his momentum;
- Experienced (Started 37 games on the offensive line while at Troy).
Weaknesses
- Does not have natural athletic ability or agility;
- Has difficulty with pass blocking;
- Has a habit of getting beat by spin/swim moves;
- Does not see the delayed blitz until it’s too late;
- Has trouble making reach blocks (laterally).
NFL Comparison: David Andrews (no relation).
Teams With Need At Position: Los Angeles Rams, Las Vegas Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles
Projection: Rounds 4-5
Bottom Line on Jake Andrews
Jake Andrews has a lot of upside, yet teams will question the quality and skill of the competition he faced in the lower-tier Sun Belt Conference. Andrews gets into his block immediately upon the snap of the ball. He maintains a wide base of support from the snap to the whistle, which enables him to control and drive his opponent away from the ball carrier.
Andrews will also anchor himself if he meets stiff resistance, in order to recalibrate his momentum and start driving his opponent again. He also has a wealth of experience as a starter and is versatile enough to play three, potentially all five, offensive line positions effectively, which are appealing qualities to a younger team in need of line depth.
Teams may decide to bypass choosing Andrews because he does not have natural athletic ability or agility. He is also not the greatest pass-blocker, which is fine for a team that does not pass a lot. Andrews will also have to work on defending against players who utilize swim and spin moves effectively, as this was an issue at the college level. Andrews also needs to work on his analysis and diagnosis of delayed blitz schemes.
Lastly, Andrews needs to work on his lateral slide step explosiveness, as he can get beat by opponents when he has to reach block. Andrews’ strengths outweigh his weaknesses because he comes out of a smaller school in a (perceived) competitively inferior conference, which is why he will be drafted in either round four or five, this coming weekend in Kansas City.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
