10. Lucas Niang, TCU
Height: 6’6″ Weight: 315
40-Yard Dash: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump:N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bio: A highly-regarded prospect out of Connecticut’s New Canaan High School, Niang chose the Horned Frogs over Auburn, Miami, Penn State, and other major schools. A hip injury limited Niang to seven games in 2019, but he had already put some pretty solid tape up — most notably against Nick Bosa and Chase Young when TCU faced Ohio State in 2019.
“That was the most excited I’ve probably ever been for a game,” Niang recalled at the combine. “I love competition. I like competing against the best to see how I measure up. I was really excited. What helped me going into the game the most was just watching film. Knowing what to expect, what Nick liked to do, what Chase liked to do. I wouldn’t say I was nervous. I was ready. It was a good feeling after the game was over. Although we lost, I did my job.
“I had a fun game. Bosa unfortunately got hurt early, so I didn’t as many reps against him. And Chase was good. I could tell he was going to be great, but he wasn’t where he was this year.”
Stat to Know: In 995 pass-blocking snaps over three seasons for the Horned Frogs (including that banger against Ohio State), Niang never allowed a single sack, and gave up just five quarterback hits and 25 quarterback hurries.
Strengths: Athletic specimen with power in the run game. Niang has a ridiculous wingspan that he uses to both attack and repel, based on the situation. Has the movement skills to make up for his extremely odd pass sets, which we’ll address in a minute. Quick enough mentally and in short areas to make himself a force against counters and late movement at the line of scrimmage. Can clear his hands to re-set and recover when he’s beaten. Good mover and attacker to the second level. As he said, did a nice job against Ohio State in 2018 even when that defense was crashing all around him.
Weaknesses: Niang’s pass sets are… unconventional, to put it kindly. If you’re looking for a perfect walkback through the arc, he’s not your guy. Widens his feet far too often and can protect at the collegiate level with this, but advanced NFL rushers could eat him alive. Gets into those wide sets and makes himself vulnerable to counter movement. Upper/lower body imbalance (top-heavy) might make some teams pause.
Conclusion: Niang is a tough evaluation in some regards — the medicals, body type, and lower-body technique are going to push him down in some eyes. And there’s no way to really how how a guy with this kind of unconventional movement is going to fare in the NFL, especially if there’s a limited pre-season in 2020. Right now, he is both highly developmental and a near-finished product, but the developmental stuff is pretty major.
NFL Comparison: Bobby Massie. During his time at Ole Miss, Massie would drive you nuts with this wide-footed stance, but he’d somehow get the job done. Selected in the fourth round of the 2012 draft by the Cardinals, Massie has managed to stay in the league for nearly a decade with up-and-down performances with Arizona and Chicago, and he’s cleared up his technique to a point. Perhaps Niang can do the same.