{"id":293567,"date":"2026-07-23T17:22:44","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T21:22:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=293567"},"modified":"2026-07-23T17:22:44","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T21:22:44","slug":"elijah-paige-2027-nfl-draft-early-scouting-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/07\/23\/elijah-paige-2027-nfl-draft-early-scouting-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Elijah Paige 2027 NFL Draft Early Scouting Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Elijah Paige (<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/usc-trojans\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Southern California<\/a>) plays the premium left tackle position.\u00a0 Despite missing time with injury in 2025, he\u2019s earned first-round grades in some<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbssports.com\/nfl\/draft\/news\/2027-nfl-mock-draft-three-qbs-top-5-arch-manning-dante-moore\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> early 2026 mock drafts<\/a>.\u00a0 What does the tape show?<\/p>\n<h2>Elijah Paige 2027 NFL Draft Early Scouting Report<\/h2>\n<h3>Measurables<\/h3>\n<p>Height: 6\u20197\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Weight: 320 lbs<\/p>\n<h3>The Tape<\/h3>\n<p>Games Watched: Georgia Southern Eagles, at <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/purdue-boilermakers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Purdue Boilermakers<\/a> and at <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/nebraska-cornhuskers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Nebraska Cornhuskers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Strengths<\/h3>\n<p>Paige has excellent size for the position, and he moves extremely well for such a big man.\u00a0 Paige is so athletic, the Trojans pull him frequently, and the results are impressive.\u00a0 He also climbs to the second level effectively and under control.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">USC left tackle Elijah Paige with an awesome block on this rep.  He shows off his movement skills at 6&#39;7&quot; 320 lbs and then throws the LB to the ground to create a huge hole.<a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/NFLDraft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#NFLDraft<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1I9gPsNGg7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/1I9gPsNGg7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Paul Emery (@UKDraftFan) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/UKDraftFan\/status\/2080004140118208941?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 22, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>There are flashes of power as a run blocker, which tend to be when he moves and he can turn that speed into power.<\/p>\n<p>When asked to work square on zone runs, Paige shows quick feet and good technique to do so.\u00a0 Again, he\u2019s under control and balanced.<\/p>\n<p>Paige is a good pass protector.\u00a0 He can deal with edge speed without having to overset outside.\u00a0 This means he can slide to his right to take away inside moves, all the while keeping a solid base.\u00a0 He can sit in his stance and mirror effectively.<\/p>\n<p>Paige battles away with his hands.\u00a0 He understands leverage and is always working to get his hands under his man\u2019s chest plate.<\/p>\n<h3>Areas to Improve<\/h3>\n<p>Paige missed time on two separate occasions in 2025 due to a lower body injury.\u00a0 The first injury was in week four against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/michigan-state-spartans\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Michigan State Spartans<\/a>, which caused him to miss a month (and key tests against Michigan and Notre Dame).<\/p>\n<p>Paige then suffered a knee injury against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/iowa-hawkeyes\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Iowa Hawkeyes<\/a> in week 12 and missed the remainder of the season.\u00a0 He had surgery to fix the problem, but the exact nature of the injury and subsequent surgery have not been released.\u00a0 This will be known to NFL scouts, and his medical at the NFL Combine will focus on his knee.\u00a0 If he suffers another injury-plagued season, durability will become a concern.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"max-width: px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"b0c95bc04383cef69c6b47df872135cf\" image-id=\"WmOBvmREneR3\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 4395px; aspect-ratio: 4395\/2930;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<p>While Paige is effective as a run blocker on the move, he\u2019s less so in small areas.\u00a0 While he doesn\u2019t duck his head into contact, he ducks his head post-contact, leaving him off balance.\u00a0 He gets shed too frequently and is on the ground too much.<\/p>\n<p>Despite being 320 lbs, Paige struggles to deal with power in pass protection.\u00a0 He gets stood up straight and walked back to his quarterback.\u00a0 That makes it difficult for him to work his hands under his man.<\/p>\n<p>Paige\u2019s initial hand placement in pass protection also needs to improve.\u00a0 His right\/inside hand particularly starts outside and can then drift onto his man\u2019s back.\u00a0 He also may have small hands, or need to be stronger with them, as he doesn\u2019t get into his man\u2019s chest and lock them up all the time.\u00a0 It keeps his man alive and free to try counters.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Elijah Paige (left tackle, #72) has to be mindful of his hand placement, particularly his inside\/right hand.  Watch where it ends up on this rep&#8230;<a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/NFLDraft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#NFLDraft<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/85PRMDgUu4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/85PRMDgUu4<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Paul Emery (@UKDraftFan) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/UKDraftFan\/status\/2080003400524058913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 22, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>Key Tests in 2026<\/h3>\n<p>The Trojans have a comfortable first four games, before hosting the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/oregon-ducks\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Oregon Ducks<\/a> and their excellent <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/06\/09\/matayo-uiagalelei-early-look\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei<\/a>.\u00a0 This will be the key matchup to watch for Paige in 2026.\u00a0 The next week sees <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/washington-huskies\/\" target=\"_self\">Washington<\/a> visit the Coliseum, followed by a trip to <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/penn-state-nittany-lions\/\" target=\"_self\">Penn State<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>After a bye week and Wisconsin, preseason number one Ohio State comes out west.\u00a0 After a further bye week, they visit the national champions, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/indiana-hoosiers\/\" target=\"_self\">Indiana<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The full schedule <a  href=\"https:\/\/fbschedules.com\/2026-usc-football-schedule\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Elijah Paige 2027 NFL Draft Projection<\/h3>\n<p>Following a season impacted by two separate injuries, the guarded nature of his exact diagnosis makes a projection difficult.\u00a0 If Paige is 100% healthy and starts every game, the concern diminishes.<\/p>\n<p>Paige has good pass protection tape, but as he missed the Michigan and Notre Dame games, he\u2019s more of a projection right now.\u00a0 However, that projection is a good one with his size, ability to move, and solid base in pass protection.<\/p>\n<p>If Paige can get stronger and prove more consistent in the running game, he will start to move up boards.\u00a0 Given he plays a premium position, a healthy and impressive 2026 will see him push for the first round without question.<\/p>\n<p><em>Main Photo Courtesy of Darren Yamashita &#8212; Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Elijah Paige (Southern California) plays the premium left tackle position.\u00a0 Despite missing time with injury in 2025, he\u2019s earned first-round grades in some early 2026 mock drafts.\u00a0 What does the tape show? Elijah Paige 2027 NFL Draft Early Scouting Report Measurables Height: 6\u20197\u201d Weight: 320 lbs The Tape Games Watched: Georgia Southern Eagles, at Purdue [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5857,"featured_media":293607,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1647,33760],"tags":[33910,1669,35043],"class_list":["post-293567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-draft","category-profiles","tag-draft-profiles","tag-draft-prospects","tag-elijah-paige"],"modified_by":"Drew VonScio","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5857"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=293567"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293567\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":293608,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293567\/revisions\/293608"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/293607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=293567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=293567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=293567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}