Minnesota’s Daniel Faalele is one massive name rising up draft boards
From the land down under, Australian native Daniel Faalele has the stature to completely dominate in the NFL. At the combine, he measured in at an astounding 6-foot-8 and 387 pounds of sheer pancaking force.
At Minnesota, Faalele spent the majority of his snaps playing on the right side of the offensive line. How does this fit in with the Colts’ plans? Coaches could revert to the idea of Braden Smith shifting to left tackle with this pick.
This is likely (*hopefully*) the closest you’ll get to what 6’8” and 387 pounds feels like coming off the ball. Any report on @GopherFootball OL Daniel Faalele must include the words “engulfs” and “mauler”.#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™️ pic.twitter.com/JqBySJgec2
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) February 25, 2022
Because of his similarity in size to the current projected starter at left tackle, Matt Pryor (6-foot-7, 340 pounds), the two could battle it out for the biggest anchor on the left side of the line.
Regardless of position, if Indy adds this powerful force to the offensive line, things will get ruthless in the run game especially.
Abraham Lucas from Washington State shows pure dominance at the left tackle position
It’s somewhat fitting that Abraham Lucas went to Washington State, a school with a mascot of a cougar because that’s how he plays: quick and powerful.
With a career pass-blocking grade of 91.9 per PFF, it’s astonishing this Washington State product isn’t higher on position rankings for the draft.
Lining up Abraham Lucas next to Quenton Nelson for the Colts not only bolsters the pass blocking on the blind side of Matt Ryan, but the efficiency aspect is also projected to improve from that of Eric Fisher.
In 2021, Lucas didn’t allow a single sack on true pass sets. As a run blocker, he took his play to a new level after some inconsistencies early in his collegiate career.