9. Ezra Cleveland, Boise State
Height: 6’6″ Weight: 311
40-Yard Dash: 4.93 seconds
Bench Press: 30 reps
Vertical Jump: 30 inches
Broad Jump: 111 inches
3-Cone Drill: 7.26 seconds
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.46 seconds
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bio: Though he was a standout at Bethel High School in Spanaway, Washington, Cleveland received offers from just four schools: Air Force, Eastern Washington, Washington State, and Boise State. He wasted no time helping the Broncos’ offense, playing 1,008 snaps in 2017 and logging more than 900 in both 2018 and 2019.
Stat to Know: Cleveland never allowed 20 total pressures in any season over three years with the Broncos, and he was called for just seven penalties in that time.
Strengths: Athletic and body-proportionate player who looks like a natural in his pass sets. Squares himself to the target effortlessly, mirrors well, and works through the arc. Moves well on pulls and screens. Gets into a low pad level naturally when it’s time to drive-block. Advanced hands as a pass-blocker; he’s really good at just about every requirement for the pass-protection side of his position.
Weaknesses: Cleveland needs obvious work on his core strength and punch — he didn’t present a troubling level of consistent power against his opponents, and it’s a further downgrade when you factor in his level of competition. Inability lock on and shed defenders gets him in trouble; too many reps when he’s walked back. Needs to be technically on point to provide any drive in the run game.
Conclusion: Of all the tackles I’ve watched in this class, Cleveland has the most disparate level of quality between his pass-blocking and his run-blocking, or anything that requires leverage and power. One assumes that an NFL-quality strength program and coaching will take care of this to a point. If Cleveland can enhance his strength to a league-average level, his pass-blocking refinement will take him a long way.
NFL Comparison: Nate Solder. The former tight end was selected in the first round of the 2011 draft by the Patriots, and parlayed his athleticism into some above-average seasons. Solder has also had disastrous campaigns in which he simply couldn’t win strength battles and gave up a ton of pressures, and this could be Cleveland’s fate if he’s not able to round out his movement skills with some sand in his pants.