While there are bigger names than Jason Spriggs on most of the first round draft boards at tackle, the Indiana offensive lineman is gaining momentum as draft day approaches, with the Denver Broncos, New York Jets, New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans among the teams interested in seeing if he’s worth selecting.
The 6’7, 301 lbs left tackle had a great senior season and an even better post-college career period which is helping him move up all the shortlists. He was named to a couple of All-American teams, made second team All-Big Ten and generally, proved himself to be exactly the kind of left tackle prospect NFL scouts and coaches love to see.
His height and length make him an obvious target, but it’s his speed, both going forward and lateral, that’s surprising and is helping him look so impressive lately. He’s a terrific athlete which often is hard to first spot on someone this big, but there are worries regarding some of his other attributes – especially strength. When it comes to power vs power, Spriggs seems to be lacking, too often moved off his spot. He really needs to work on his inside post and his ability to react to special moves by pass rushers.
But overall, his combine and pro day really got him noticed by teams previously thinking of others like Ronnie Stanley and Jack Conklin or maybe even Taylor Decker. Laremy Tunsil out of Ole Miss is still the number one left tackle prospect although he might no longer be the projected number one overall pick due to the Rams-Titans trade, but Spriggs isn’t too far behind.
Spriggs is meeting with the Jets, has visited the Broncos and Saints and has worked out with both the Titans and the Ravens. He’s also been linked to the Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions and also the Pittsburgh Steelers, with his name popping up a lot more in the last 10 days than it did earlier in the offseason.