Ezra Cleveland | OT | Boise State
Elevator Pitch
Cleveland is a lengthy and athletic tackle prospect who checks plenty of boxes in the physical tools department. He needs to work on his play strength and clean some things up from a technical perspective, but he has the upside to develop into a solid starter at either tackle position.
Vitals
Height | 6-6
Weight | 311
Strengths
Though he broke out onto the scene with an impressive Combine performance, Cleveland’s tape shows that his athleticism was apparent throughout college.
A three-year starter at the collegiate level, Cleveland brings plenty of intrigue with his lengthy frame and his athletic abilities. He accelerates well when he climbs to the second level and has good overall quickness when tasked as a down blocker. That speed and acceleration was reflected in his 40-yard dash at the Combine, as he ran a 4.93 time with a 1.74 10-yard split that is fantastic for an offensive lineman. He moves with good footwork and sound body control in pass protection, as he can change direction well and mirror the movements of edge rushers pretty consistently.
Cleveland has shown that he has raw power in his upper body and can physically overwhelm the opposition when he gets proper hand placement. He has flashed the ability to seal off defenders in the run game, and he can re-set his hands well and fight hard to maintain leverage with his hands. A two-time All-Mountain West first-team lineman, Cleveland has been an anchor for a Boise State offensive line that has produced 1,000-yard rushers in every season he was a starter.
Weaknesses
Consistent technique and play strength are occurring issues on Cleveland’s film. Part of that stems from his inability to regularly sink his hips and get his weight underneath him when he blocks. He has a tendency to block from an upright stance, even with the natural athleticism he possesses. His hip work as a pass protector could use some more precision in the angles he takes to edge rushers.
Cleveland doesn’t have top-notch anchor strength, which prevents him from being able to drive many defenders back a considerable amount. His recovery strength against power moves could be improved, and he could struggle early on in his career against bull rushes and powerful jabs from NFL edge rushers. He can also get better at consistently getting inside hand placement, as his strikes can stand to be a bit more precise.
Projection: Day 2
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