This week’s scouting spotlight is fixated on two position groups, as both Missouri edge rushers and Texas A&M offensive tackles appear to have bright NFL futures. Shane Ray tends to line up over the LT and Markus Golden tends to operate across from the RT, so I’ll break down each of those match-ups.
We’ve featured Texas A&M’s Cedric Ogbuehi in the Scouting Spotlight previously against Arkansas. Ogbuehi has since transitioned back to right tackle due to injuries on the A&M offensive line, but still struggles with his punch and hand usage on pass sets. Athletically, he looks the part of a franchise left tackle but NFL scouts want to see him play with far more physicality. His teammate, Jarvis Harrison, has stepped in on the left side, and will face the tougher of the two Missouri pass rushers.
By: Alex Brown
Level of competition is critical when choosing which tapes to evaluate, and this will definitely be a game NFL evaluators refer back to during the draft process.
Breaking Down the Left Side of the Line
(JR) #56 Shane Ray, Missouri, 6’3, 245
Missouri is led by their junior DE Shane Ray, who leads the SEC and ranks fourth in the nation in total sacks. Ray’s game is predicated on quickness. He’s a very twitchy, explosive athlete that possesses the explosive first step and closing burst to win as a speed rusher. Missouri likes to stunt Ray to the inside on a variety of twist games with the defensive line, but he’s clearly at his best when given the green light from a wide alignment. His go-to move is an outside rip through move, and you see instinctive hand usage to protect his chest plate on outside rush moves. With his athleticism and elite game speed, Ray best projects as a next level 3-4 OLB.
Weaknesses in Ray’s game include his pad level and overall leverage. He tends to pop upright when reading and reacting to the run, and also shows his numbers early when stunting to the inside. By allowing his pad level to rise, he presents an easy target for opposing blockers to strike and gain an inside hand fit. The other concern I have is his lower half flexibility. Being high-cut with a long-legged build, Ray is a bit rigid when attempting to bend the edge. His athleticism and speed is more straight line-ish than I’d like to see, and he’ll have to continue improving his balance at the top of his rush arc to finish bending the edge.
#51 Jarvis Harrison, Texas A&M, 6’4, 330
Most would read into this matchup and talk about “Shane Ray vs Cedric Ogbuehi,” but Jarvis Harrison is manning the LT slot for the Aggies with starting RT Germain Ifedi out for the season. Harrison is a massive being with long, powerful arms to latch and control opponents off the snap. From leaving last year’s bowl game with a calf injury to undergoing shoulder surgery during the offseason, Harrison began the season out of condition and on the bench. It wasn’t week six that he earned back his starting job, and now he’s showcasing the position flexibility to kick outside to offensive tackle.
With his massive, girthy frame, Harrison absorbs and anchors easily on the edge in pass pro. He shows more than enough foot speed to reach his landmark on pass sets, but will really be tested this week by the athleticism of Shane Ray. Against Auburn, he routinely got to his spot, locked out and controlled opponents with his grip strength. Harrison fits the bill as a length-strength RT prospect, and could be a draft riser if he continues to put out good tape at offensive tackle.
Breaking Down the Right Side of the Line
#70, Cedric Ogbuehi, Texas A&M, 6’5, 305
Ogbuehi is one of the top senior prospects in the country, but he is relatively the same player he was a season ago. He still struggles to get his hands up and in a striking position, allowing rushers to gain control of his chestplate and jolt him back into the quarterback’s lap. When his hands are in correct position, he’s able to dominate thanks to his athletic feet and efficient base setup. Always in a balanced, flexible position to reset his feet and react to the pass rusher’s movement, Cedric’s greatest limitation at the moment is his lack of a firm punch.
Working in his favor is the fact that Cedric is a 6’5, 305 pound blocker with plus arm length, plus kick slide balance and flexibility through his lower half. He shows the ability to climb to the second and even the third level to execute blocks downfield, excelling in the screen game for Texas A&M. From a tools standpoint, he looks the part of a LT. Still, it seems he’s far more comfortable at RT and thankfully the value difference between the LT and RT is shrinking. If he continues to struggle with his punch technique and hand usage, I’ll have to back off my high first round preseason grade. As it stands now, his upside is hard to overlook and he would be an instant upgrade at RT for a number of NFL teams.
#33, Markus Golden, Missouri, 6’3, 260
Facing off against Ogbuehi is Missouri’s top senior prospect Markus Golden. Golden has a well put together, filled out frame and wins off the edge with a developed speed rush component. He does an excellent job of dipping his inside shoulder and using a rip through move to attack the outside, and shows enough hip flexibility to bend back to the inside. At the point of attack, he understands how to engage blockers with leverage and inside hand placement to direct the action; however, his size and filled out frame could lead to 3-4 OLB projections.
I believe Golden’s best position is as a wide-9 technique and rotational edge rusher, where he can attack upfield with speed and have room to counter back inside if needed. He’s not big enough to be a 4-3 DE, but could be developed into a 3-4 OLB starter with time to how to transition, drop and operate from a detached edge position. Currently Golden grades out as an early day three prospect, but how he fares in this matchup versus Cedric Ogbuehi could go a long way in upping his draft stock.
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