FanPost

NFL Draft Prospects That May SPARQ The Chiefs Interest: The Offensive Line

Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

From the FanPosts. Enjoying this series. -Joel

Today in Part Three of my SPARQ analysis series we'll be taking an in depth look at Offensive Line prospects that fit Chiefs GM John Dorsey's desired athletic profile. If you haven't read Part One of the series in which I analyzed Dorsey's previous drafts or Part Two in which I analyzed the 2016 Edge Rush and Defensive Line prospects I would recommend starting there. The data comes from 3SigmaAthlete.com.

Offensive line is a particularly interesting position group to analyze as we already have a fairly large sample size of John Dorsey selected prospects to work with. It's also the position group where we see one of the strongest correlations between SPARQ scores and Chiefs acquisitions. The Chiefs have only ever selected one offensive lineman with a below average SPARQ score, Guard Zach Fulton in the 6th round of the 2014 Draft (and he's really not that far below average). They followed that pick by drafting LDT (also in the 6th) who would have had the top SPARQ score among Guards (he was 4th amongst tackles) and signing UDFA Jarrod Pughsley the top rated SPARQ guard. I feel pretty safe in saying Fulton was drafted to fill a short term need and set the floor as solid backup or capable spot starter, he's probably not representative of the prototype Dorsey is really looking for.

We do not have SPARQ data available for 2013 draft picks Eric Fisher and Eric Kush but in comparing their measureables to other known prospects it's safe to say both would have been SPARQ stand outs (likely in the 90th percentile or above for their positions). As we saw in Part One of the series of the Chiefs seven Offensive Line acquisitions with known SPARQ scores four (57%) grade out in the 90th percentile or above, with a 5th (Mitch Morse) grading out at the 85th percentile. If we include Fisher and Kush the balance becomes even more lopsided with six of the nine (67%) grading out in the 90th percentile or greater. I feel very confidant in saying that the John Dorsey-led Chiefs want SPARQ-lete's on the offensive line. Now let's take an even deeper dive and try to construct a prototype for the Chief's ideal offensive lineman...

Overall:

Chiefs O-Line SPARQ

By Position:

OL by Position

There are some really interesting trends here, and we can use them to start extrapolating what John Dorsey's prototype offensive lineman would look like and establishing some baselines for evaluating prospects.

Height:

  • Offensive Tackle: 6'5" to 6'7" - The Chiefs want long Offensive Tackles. Eric Fisher (6'7"), Laurence Gibson (6'6"), Mitch Schwartz (6'5"), Ryan Harris (6'5") and Jah Reid (6'7") all fit this requirement.
  • Interior Offensive Line: 6'3" to 6'4" - Guards Zach Fulton (6'4"), LDT (6'4"), Jarrod Pughsley (6'4"), Ben Grubbs (6'3") and Mike McGlynn (6'4") all fit this requirement. There is more variability in Centers however as the Chiefs have Mitch Morse (6'6") and Daniel Munyer (6'1") on opposite ends of the spectrum. It doesn't seem to be a sticking point either way, but 6'3" seems like the sweet spot with Eric Kush (6'3") and Michael Liedtke (6'4") in that range.

Arm Length:

  • Offensive Tackle: 34" or Longer - The Chiefs really seem to value length in their offensive tackle prospects. They want tackles with long arms (as does every NFL team).
  • Interior Offensive Line: 33"- With the exception of Mitch Morse (32.25" arms) every interior line acquisition has some iteration of 33" arms. I can't imagine longer arms would be a disadvantage but we haven't seen one yet.

General Rules:

  • Height: 6'3" or Above - The Chiefs have only ever acquired 1 OL below the 6'3" threshold (UDFA Daniel Munyer at 6'1". The minimum threshold appears to be 6'5" for Tackles and 6'3" for Interior.
  • Weight: 300-310 pounds - For what it's worth the Chiefs really seem to love 305 pounders. This goes against the general perception that Andy Reid likes massive offensive linemen. The Chiefs appear to like great athletes who are on the lighter side of the spectrum. They then rely on their top flight strength and conditioning program to bulk them up. That's not to say the Chiefs won't take a big guy, Rokevius Watkins weighed in a 338 pounds for example, but it doesn't seem to be the norm.
  • Arm Length: 33" or Longer - The Chiefs have only ever made one one exception to the 33" arm rule, by selecting Center Mitch Morse (32.25" arms) in the 2nd round.
  • SPARQ Score: 110+ - Of the prospects tracked only Daniel Munyer (106.9) and Zach Fulton (85.5) have SPARQ scores below 110 (or to be more precise 113.6). This is really incredible. 110 is fairly ridiculous SPARQ score for an offensive lineman, it's a full standard deviation above the positional mean (and remember that's the average for NFL players). To have almost the entire offensive line room over a standard deviation more athletic than their peers is freaking crazy. I'll say this again John Dorsey is looking for SPARQ-lete's
  • 10 Yard Split: 1.7 to 1.8 Sec - A key metric for explosion, burst, and short area quickness the Chiefs look for 10 yard splits below 1.8 seconds. Only Zach Fulton (1.81) and Mitch Morse (1.86) fall outside this range. Faster is obviously better, and their Offensive Tackle pickups have tended to be at the low end of the range.
  • Short Shuttle: 4.7 or Below - The short shuttle tests speed, explosion, agility and body control. The Chiefs only have 2 players that fall outside this desired 4.7 or below range Daniel Munyer (4.72) and Zach Fulton (4.78). Obviously lower times like Kush's crazy 4.35 are even better. Tackles and Centers both seem to trend towards the lower end of the range.
  • Three Cone: 7.6 or Below - The 3-Cone drill is a key test for agility, quickness, flexibility, change of direction, and body control. 7.6 seconds or below doesn't seem to be a hard fast rule with Jarrod Pughsley (8.20), Zach Fulton (7.87), Daniel Munyer (7.95), and Laurence Gibson (7.72) all falling outside the desired range. However the Chiefs also have 3-Cone superstars like LDT (7.21), Mike Liedtke (7.35), and Eric Kush (7.4). It seems like the Chiefs value strong 3-Cone performances but don't eliminate prospects with poor showings.
  • Bench Press: 25+ Reps - Bench measures a prospects strength and explosion. All prospects meet this 25+ rep criteria with the exception of Laurence Gibson who just missed the mark with 24 reps, considering his very long 35" arms it's understandable why the Chiefs made an exception for Gibson.
  • Vertical Jump - 30" or Higher - It seems really strange that the Chiefs would care how high an Offensive Lineman can jump but there is a fairly strong correlation with all prospects except Eric Fisher (28.5") and Zach Fulton (24.5") checking in at over 30". Vertical jump is also an indicator of lower body burst and explosion so from that perspective it makes some sense.
  • Broad Jump - 9' or Greater - Much the same as Vertical the Broad Jump measures lower body burst and explosion. All prospects except Zach Fulton (8.17) and Daniel Munyer (8.67) check in at over 9 feet.

2016 Offensive Line Prospects:

Via 3SigmaAthlete.com

Top 25 OLmhbrbn.0.png

The Top 25 SPARQ scores for offensive lineman all meet the 110+ SPARQ score requirement we established as a general rule of to qualify as a potential Chief. The next 25 prospects fall short of the 110+ SPARQ requirement but are included for reference. Based on the strong correlation we've seen between SPARQ and John Dorsey's offensive line selections I feel pretty comfortable narrowing our pool to these 50 prospects (Please Note: Laremy Tunsil, Shon Coleman, Max Teurk, and Kyle Murphy were not included in the data set due to a lack of sufficient measurement data)

  • Blue: A player meets the special minimum criteria that the Chiefs look for in an Offensive Tackle prospect. (i.e. 6'5" Height, 34" Long Arms, and a 120 plus SPARQ score)
  • Green: Signifies a value that falls within the Chiefs general requirements for that measurement or drill.
  • Yellow: Signifies a near miss on the Chiefs requirement for a given measurement or drill.
  • Red: Signifies a value well outside what we believe the Chiefs are looking for.

Offensive Tackles:

The Perfect Match:

Jason Spriggs (6'6" 301lbs) OT Indiana

pSPARQ: 122.6 Z-Score: 1.4 NFL Percentile: 91.7% Class Rank: 10/244 OL

Projected Round: 1

Under John Dorsey the Kansas City Chiefs have shown definite pattern in their 1st round picks. They draft an insurance policy for a big name impending free agent. In 2013 it was Eric Fisher as insurance for Branden Albert. In 2014 it was Dee Ford as Justin Houston insurance. In 2015 it was Marcus Peters as insurance for Sean Smith. In 2016 the impending free agents most likely to need an insurance policy are Left Tackle Eric Fisher and Nose Tackle Dontari Poe. The Chiefs have notably put off the decision on Eric Fisher's 5th Year Option until after the draft, and IMO have likely identified their Left Tackle target in the 1st round (for the record I would absolutely hate letting Big Fish walk). That target based on our requirements is almost assuredly Indiana Left Tackle Jason Spriggs.

Spriggs literally checks every box and is a near perfect fit for the Chiefs desired athletic prototype. Spriggs has the length the Chiefs look for in Tackle prospects standing 6'6" with 34.1" arms. Spriggs performs very well in explosion metrics with a 35" Vertical Jump, 9.58 Broad Jump, and 1.76 10 Yard Split. His 31 reps indicate solid strength and Spriggs also performs well in Agility Metrics with a 4.44 Short Shuttle and 7.57 Three Cone. From a physical perspective Spriggs has no real weaknesses, he's an impressively well rounded all around athletic specimen.

Spriggs was a 4 Year starter for the Hoosiers, earning 1st Team All-American honors from the Football Writers Association of America as a Senior. Spriggs was known for his elite lateral quickness and willingness to block through the whistle. Spriggs also had very strong showing at the Senior Bowl (another factor history shows us John Dorsey highly values).

The Gem:

Halapoulivaati Vaitai (6'6" 320lbs) OT/OG TCU

pSPARQ: 115.6 Z-Score: 0.9 NFL Percentile: 80.4% Class Rank: 17/244 OL

Projected Round: 7

Vaitai played both Right and Left Tackle for the Horned Frogs. With his massive frame Vaitai projects as a Right Tackle at the NFL level and could also kick inside to play Guard. It's worth noting that there is a rather large discrepancy between Vaitai's Combine and Pro Day times in both the 3-Cone (8.26 vs. 7.69) and Short Shuttle (5.00 vs. 4.56) drills. This is something that merits a closer examination by the Chiefs front office. Is it a case of a prospect getting a "home field advantage" at their pro day? Or did Vaitai just have no idea how to run the 3-Cone and Short Shuttle at the combine and actually trained for his Pro Day? A lot of his viability hinges on this; if the Pro Day numbers are accurate he's got RT potential. If the combine numbers are accurate he's going to have to slide inside to Guard and is also less of a fit for the Chiefs prototype. Vaitai's 7.69 sec Pro Day 3-Cone does just barely miss the Chiefs benchmark of 7.6 seconds, but recall that the 3-Cone drill was where we saw the largest variations among Chiefs selections. 7.69 is likely a passable score considering Vaitai meets all of the other physical requirements showcasing impressive athleticism, particularly in the explosion metrics, for a 320 pound man. Weight is a bit of a concern as Vaitai reportedly ballooned up to 360 pounds at points in his college career.

The Longshots:

Ramy Kased (6'7" 309lbs) OT Bucknell

pSPARQ: 127.4 Z-Score: 1.8 NFL Percentile: 96.0% Class Rank: 5/244 OL

Projected Round: UDFA

There's virtually no information available on Kased as a football player and to be honest I couldn't even tell you where the hell Bucknell University is even located. I can tell you that 6'7" 309 pound behemoths with freakishly long 37" arms and 96th percentile NFL athleticism aren't exactly commonplace. As a pure physical specimen Kased is an extremely intriguing UDFA prospect, it's a fair bet he's a massive project but the guy is an absolute freak.

George Fant (6'5" 296lbs) OT/DE Western Kentucky

pSPARQ: 133.3 Z-Score: 2.2 NFL Percentile: 98.6% Class Rank: 5/244 OL

Projected Round: UDFA

A college basketball player turned tight end turned offensive tackle Fant is a raw prospect but has the frame and athleticism to be an interesting project. Fant played 4 years for Western Kentucky as a Power Forward before joining the Football team as a Tight End to finish out his last year of eligibility, he caught 1 pass for 7 yards. Fant came into his pro day bulked up to 296 pounds and still posted an eye popping 4.83 Forty and a 37" vertical crazy numbers for a guy that size. He's a very raw project but could project as either an Offensive Tackle or Defensive End if a team is willing to invest the time to develop him.

The Other Candidates:

Brandon Shell (6'5" 324lbs) OT/OG South Carolina

pSPARQ: 114.6 Z-Score: 0.8 NFL Percentile: 78.3% Class Rank: 20/244 OL

Projected Round: 4-6

Shell has NFL Pedigree and good size for the tackle position at 6'5" 324lbs with nearly 35" arms. His 7.62 3-Cone barely misses the Chiefs 7.6 benchmark. He also put up only 22 reps on the bench reps though with 35" arms that's excusable. Shell played predominantly on the right side for South Carolina and has heavy feet. Shell has tackle measureables, and would likely get a shot there first, but with his heavy feet would be a prime candidate to slide inside to Guard.

Germain Ifedi (6'6" 324lbs) OT Texas A&M

pSPARQ: 111.1 Z-Score: 0.7 NFL Percentile: 75.6% Class Rank: 22/110 OG

Projected Round: 2-3

Ifedi was supposed to be the next blue chip Left Tackle to come out of Texas A&M (Luke Joeckel, Jake Matthews, Cedric Ogbuehi) but has fallen somewhat short of expectations. Ifedi has an ideal frame at 6'6" 324lbs with 36" arms. he also possesses solidly above average athleticism (76th Percentile). Ifedi isn't the SPARQ freak that many of the Chiefs acquisitions have been but an ideal frame may be enough to counter that. Ifedi meets all of the Chiefs benchmarks for athleticism except for Short Shuttle (4.75), which also calls into question his absent 3-Cone. Ifedi has the quick feet to play outside but his footwork and hand placement still need a lot of work. He'll be a work in progress for his NFL coaching staff.

La'Raven Clark (6'5" 316lbs) OT/OG Texas Tech

pSPARQ: 104.2 Z-Score: 0.0 NFL Percentile: 49.7% Class Rank: 43/295 OL

Projected Round: 2-3

So I broke my own rule and included a guy with a thoroughly average SPARQ score. Why? Well first Dorsey's shown he'll take average SPARQ players if they're good football players (though much less so on Offensive Line). However Clark's SPARQ score is actually a bit misleading, as his 3-Cone and Short Shuttle results are missing. In the event of missing results the positional average is used, and Clark who's known for his agility would likely post above average scores if he were able to complete the drills. He's still not likely to be a dazzling SPARQ guy, but you have to account for his ideal frame (6'5" 316lbs with freakishly long 36.1" arms) and positional versatility to play Guard or Tackle. Clark has great balance and foot quickness, but he comes out of a goofy Texas Tech offense and will have to learn to play in a more traditional role.

Interior Offensive Line:

The Perfect Match:

Connor McGovern OG (6'4" 306lbs) Missouri

pSPARQ: 117.9 Z-Score: 1.3 NFL Percentile: 89.6% Class Rank: 12/295 OL

Projected Round: 3

McGovern is another pick that just makes a ton of sense for the Chiefs. McGovern was a college teammate of Chiefs Center Mitch Morse at Mizzou. Like Morse, McGovern is a SPARQ standout with a 117.9 SPARQ score, good for just a hair under the 90th percentile among NFL offensive line (also besting Morse's 115.1). McGovern misses the Chiefs 33" arm mark by just 0.1 inches, which I doubt is a deal breaker. It does cement the fact that McGovern will be a Guard in the NFL (he played both Tackle and Guard at Mizzou). McGovern will likely join Morse and Justin Britt as Mizzou offensive linemen who shot up boards just prior to the draft. McGovern fits the Chiefs prototype across the board. His strength is impressive with 33 reps and he has solid numbers in all of the other categories.

The Gem:

Andrew Zeller OG (6'5" 297lbs) Maryland

pSPARQ: 133.2 Z-Score: 2.5 NFL Percentile: 99.4% Class Rank: 1/295 OL

Projected Round: 7-UDFA

Zeller is a bonafide freak athlete. His 133.2 SPARQ score is 2.5 standard deviations above the mean for NFL linemen. He's got amazing agility with Short Shuttle (4.43) and Three Cone (7.21) times that best even LDT (who has a freak in these categories also). His burst and explosion metrics are also pretty damn impressive with a stellar 1.68 10 YD Split and a 34" Vertical and 9.67 broad. 19 bench reps is a bit concerning but Zeller reportedly does have long arms. Best of all he was actually a pretty good football player for Maryland starting 41 games at RG for the Terps. Zeller has solid technique and is effective pulling (showcasing his agility). At 6'5" Zeller has the frame to add weight and fits the Chiefs mold of taking athletic guys who they can bulk up in their Strength and conditioning program. Two time All Academic Big Ten selection.

Honorable Mention:

Joe Haeg OT/OG (6'6" 304lbs) North Dakota State

pSPARQ: 112.8 Z-Score: 0.6 NFL Percentile: 74.0% Class Rank: 23/295 OL

Projected Round: 5-6

Haeg played Right and Left Tackle and has the feet and movement skills to potentially play outside in the NFL. Haeg's 33.8" arms are just under the 34" threshold the Chiefs look for in Tackles, but Haeg fits the athletic prototype of a Chiefs Guard with very solid 3-Cone (7.47) and Short Shuttle (4.47) numbers. He'll need to get stronger to hold up in the NFL but with his movement skills and positional versatility Haeg merits a look in the later rounds.

The Longshots:

Golden Ukonu OG (6'3" 360lbs) LIU Post

pSPARQ: 131 Z-Score: 1.3 NFL Percentile: 99% Class Rank: 2/295 OL

Projected Round: UDFA

These Pro Day numbers seem highly suspect, but if they turn out to be legit... Holy. Shit. A 6'3" 360lb man running a sub 5 forty with a 4.36 short shuttle and 7.32 three cone (amazing agility numbers for an O-Line). Those are Dontari Freaking Poe numbers ladies and gentlemen. He's basically playing high school level competition but if those measureables are real you have to throw the guy a camp invite. Ukonu's highlight tape is rather hilarious, he's just so much bigger than everyone else that he can just toss guys aside. I mean I'm fairly certain this poor linebacker was killed in the collision...

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Bruce Johnson OC (6'2" 302 lbs):Maine

pSPARQ: 122.8 Z-Score: 1.6 NFL Percentile: 94.6% Class Rank: 8/295 OL

Projected Round: 7-UDFA

Johnson won the FCS Rimington award for the Nation's best center. Johnson didn't face top competition while playing at Maine, but he's got very solid measurements across he board. Center might not be the Chiefs biggest need but with a 122.8 SPARQ score and 95th percentile NFL athleticism Johnson is a guy Dorsey will be digging into. He fits the Chief prototype across the board (considering the team has been willing to take shorter centers).

Anthony Fabiano OG (6'4" 303 lbs): Harvard

pSPARQ: 126.2 Z-Score: 1.67 NFL Percentile: 95.2% Class Rank: 6/295 OL

Projected Round: 7-UDFA

We know that there isn't a rock Dorsey won't turn over to find talented football players. Dorsey has taken highly athletic Ivy League prospects before in Mike Catapano (Princeton) and Josh Martin (Columbia). Fabiano with his 126.2 SPARQ score and 95th percentile athleticism could be next. He meets every criteria for the Chiefs prototype and his 6'4" 303lb frame fits the pattern of many of Dorsey's other acquisitions at Guard. Fabiano is another guy with top flight quickness (1.68 10yd) and Agility (4.34 Short Shuttle and 7.41 3-Cone).

Spencer Pulley OG/OC (6'4" 301lbs): Vanderbilt

pSPARQ: 113.0 Z-Score: 0.8 NFL Percentile: 78.5% Class Rank: 19/295 OL

Projected Round: 7-UDFA

Pulley is another nice fit for the Chiefs Guard prototype. He was a 4 year starter for Vanderbilt playing both Center and Guard. A leader of the offensive line known for his consistent play, Pulley has above average athletic ability for the NFL. He's also a solid performer in both the 3-Cone (7.39) and Shuttle (4.48)... if you couldn't tell I think both of those agility drills are pretty key for O-Line prospects in our offense.

Conclusion:

There's not another position group on the Chiefs that is as closely correlated to SPARQ as Offensive Line. Dorsey could of course buck the trend and take an average to below average athlete, but thus far the vast majority of the OL he's brought in have been legitimate freak athletes. I would be pretty shocked if we didn't see that trend continue this weekend. Take long look at that Top 50 folks, there is a good chance some of the guys on that lists are soon to be Chiefs.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Arrowhead Pride's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Arrowhead Pride writers or editors.