If your favorite NFL team is looking to maximize value at the offensive tackle position in the 2020 NFL draft, few can boast the high-level experience of Auburn’s Jack Driscoll.
A durable, consistent performer with 40 consecutive starts under his belt for the Tigers, Driscoll recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about the best pass rushers he’s faced, how he likes to demoralize his opponents, and what kind of impact he’ll make at the next level.
JM: You’re an experienced starting right tackle. You’ve also been incredibly durable. You’ve made more than 40 straight starts. How does that experience serve you well going forward?
JD: It definitely serves me well. I’ve played a lot of football against excellent competition throughout those last 40+ starts. I’ve proven to scouts that I can stay healthy and play at a high level at any position across the offensive line. Playing in the SEC has been a terrific experience. It’s something that’s gonna serve me well going forward.
JM: What’s your favorite part about playing on the offensive line?
JD: I just love how much cohesion it takes. It takes five guy’s with no ego to make up a successful offensive line. You don’t really read about our names in the newspaper. It’s not a glamorous position. We don’t have a lot of “stats” or things that excite people. It’s about having five guys that selflessly put their best foot forward. A successful offensive line takes chemistry. We got so much better as the year went on at Auburn.
The offensive line is a brotherhood. You have to become really close to the guy playing next to you. It’s a hard job. You have to be physically and mentally tough. You have to be able to adapt on the fly. We ran a lot of no huddle at Auburn so we had to think fast. Our communication had to be excellent and we had to echo calls down the line. It’s imperative that we’re all on the same page.
JM: You’ve been training down in Irvine, California at Sanford Power with Gavin MacMillan. What a fantastic facility that is. How’s that been going for you?
JD: It’s been going really well. Gavin has done such a great job with us all. He’s really worked on our explosion and things of that nature. He’s done such a good job getting us ready for the combine. We all feel very prepared for what’s next thanks to him and the rest of the staff down there.
The combine is a process and you’re doing a lot of unconventional drills. When you’re in college, you’re training for football with heavy squats and workouts of that nature. Gavin has been making sure that our bodies are feeling good. He has us using different types of machines and lift oriented workouts that are getting us ready for both the combine and the football ahead of us. Hats off to him. He’s done a great job.
JM: You ran a lot of no-huddle at Auburn, as you said. You’ve played in so many different schemes, though. Is there a scheme you’re more comfortable with?
JD: I’ve played in some different offenses. What we ran during my time at UMass was very different from what we ran at Auburn. We ran a true pro style offense at UMass. At Auburn, we ran a lot of no huddle and a power inside zone offense. We ran some outside zone as well. I feel good about my ability to adapt to any situation. I think the best part of my experience throughout my time in college was that I played in two totally different styles of offense.
I’ve played for two different head coaches. [Head] coach [Mark] Whipple at UMass had NFL experience and so did a few of the assistant coaches as well. I learned a lot from that stuff. Moving onto Auburn, obviously coach [Gus] Malzahn is one of the best coaches in college football. Learning from him definitely made me a better player.
JM: You touched on the level of competition earlier. Who are some of the best pass rushers you’ve gone up against?
JD: We played against some great pass rushers this past season. We opened the year at Oregon and they had some guys. We played Florida later in the season and they had Jonathan Greenard who’s a great player. He’s very disruptive on the edge but I thought we did a pretty good job with him. Every week in the SEC is a test. You have some guys who are better than others but you see the best of the best every week in the SEC. Even some of those schools that don’t have the greatest reputation still have great players. We finished the regular season with Alabama. They have a bunch of guys that are going to have good careers.
Even when we played Minnesota, Carter Coughlin was a great player. You really have to learn on a weekly basis. You need to keep your head down and grind in the film room. It’s all about figuring out what your next opponent likes to do. Can I learn from it? How did their last opponent like to set? I love the studying aspect of it.
JM: What’s your favorite way to demoralize your opponent?
JD: I’m not a rah-rah guy. I’m not a loud guy. I just like to stare someone down. When we start the game, those edge rushers are pretty confident going in. As the game goes on and you’re struggling with me, I’ll just stare you down and I start to see their facial expressions change. When he doesn’t wanna look me in the face anymore, I know he’s about to quit. That’s when I put my foot down and finish you off. That’s how I look at it. When I see someone’s eyes and they start looking down, or maybe they start yelling at their teammates or complaining to the ref about something, I know that’s the moment when I can put the nail in the coffin. I’m gonna get after you.
JM: That’s the scariest answer I’ve ever heard, Jack.
JD: (laughs) I had a high school coach that taught me that actually. He told me that it’s the guys that don’t run around and yell that you have to worry about. Everyone can talk the talk, but they get awfully quiet once you go silent and stare them down. That’s how I demoralize them.
JM: Do you have a preferred pass set? Do you switch it up throughout the course of a game?
JD: I’ll switch it up. It goes back to watching the film. Watching how he rushes is imperative. Is he more of a speed guy? Is he a powerful guy that loves to bull rush? If he’s a powerful guy, you wanna get on him as fast as possible so that he doesn’t get his charge going. You wanna shock his charge. Someone like Jonathan Greenard, you have to take more of a vertical approach. You gotta get going backwards faster because he’s gonna beat you around the edge if you don’t.
I’ll change it up. I’ll throw in some jump sets with the speed guys. I’ll throw in a vertical set on a power guy. You gotta keep them guessing. You can’t use the same set against a pass rusher every snap. They know what’s coming. I’ve been switching it up and now he doesn’t know if I’m gonna jump him, take a vertical set, take him wide or maybe I’m gonna turn a little bit and ride him out. It really makes his job harder.
They already have all of the advantages. They’re going forward and I have to go backwards. You gotta get out of your stance. You can’t turn too quick but eventually you have to turn. Any advantage I can create for myself is a huge bonus.
JM: What kind of impact is Jack Driscoll going to make at the next level?
JD: I’m gonna make a huge impact for a team. Any team that drafts me is gonna be happy for many years. I’m not a high maintenance guy. I’m gonna come into work and bring the same intensity every day. I’m gonna be consistent. I have the ability to play any of the five positions on the offensive line. If you ask my teammates, they’ll tell you there’s nobody more competitive than me. I hate losing and I hate getting beat. I always work my hardest. Whatever organization takes a chance on me will be happy that they did so.
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