Name: Chad Wheeler
School: USC
Position fit: Tackle
Stats to know: Surrendered 20 pressures in 2015 and 18 pressures in 2016.
What he does best:
- Good on the move in space.
- Good reach blocker in a zone scheme. Gets his body into good position.
- Can get to the second level quickly in the run game.
- Quick feet to pass set back inside vs. an inside move by rusher.
- Accelerates feet through contact leading to pancakes.
Biggest concern:
- Lighter frame and weight is a liability in pass protection.
- Too many whiffs in pass protection.
- Can get over powered in pass and run blocks.
- Struggled against better competition, ranking 45th out of 51 as a run-blocker against Power-5 competition.
- Ranked only 79th out of 95 qualifiers in the draft class in percentage of positively graded blocks.
Bottom line: Wheeler moves well and is best suited for an outside zone-blocking scheme but his inability to sustain blocks will make him a hard fit for any scheme. His lighter frame can be a liability in pass protection as he can get bull rushed and over powered giving up the inside to stronger rush ends. Wheeler might be a better fit on the interior but his susceptibility to get over powered may show up even more on the inside. Wheeler needs to add weight and power to his game to be a fit at the next level.