Saahdiq Charles | OT | LSU
Elevator Pitch
Charles is an athletic offensive tackle prospect who possesses intriguing quickness, flexibility and footwork for someone his size. He could stand to work on his technique and strength a bit, and his suspension this past year may need some digging into, but the potential is palpable in his skill set.
Vitals
Height | 6-4
Weight | 321
Strengths
Charles’ athletic abilities should see him high in demand after the first tier of offensive tackles comes off the board in this year’s class.
A nimble lineman who moves around better than most his size, Charles has very good lateral quickness and possesses impressive footwork and body control when moving around. He changes direction well, allowing him to counter speed rushes and adjust his set points to close off the possibility of a defender bouncing inside against him. His acceleration climbing to the second level is impressive, and he has the athleticism and awareness to make adjustments and position himself to take on incoming defenders or blitzes. He has shown some potential in his flexibility, as he can bend pretty well when he maintains the composure to do so.
A three-year starter who has only been playing as an offensive lineman for four years, Charles possesses an enticing experience-room to grow combination and is continually getting better as he adjusts to the position. He has some experience as a guard too, which may help him get additional playing time early on in his career. His athletic abilities, as well as the flashes of potential he’s shown when he gets his technique down, give him a high ceiling at the next level.
Weaknesses
Charles weighed significantly more at the Combine than he was listed as at LSU, and while he did need to pack on weight, it remains to be seen if that weight gain will translate to added play strength. On tape, he didn’t pack much of a punch at the point of attack and didn’t have enough of a mauler playing style to drive defenders into the dirt. He struggles at times with recovering from speed-to-power conversions against him, and his overall core strength is pretty average.
Part of his power struggles stem from his technique, as he doesn’t play with optimal pad level and can do better at maintaining leverage. He can also improve the consistency in his hand placement and can allow defenders inside his frame a bit too easily. His ability to re-set his hands isn’t all that great yet, and he has a tendency to lunge from time to time. Charles was suspended for six games in 2019 for disciplinary reasons, and while the exact cause of the suspension is unknown, teams will certainly have to do some digging in that regard.
Projection: 3rd-4th Round
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