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Hurricanes OT
Bryant McKinnie
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Editor’s note: This is the fifth in a series of articles previewing the top NFL
prospects, by position, for the 2002 draft.
Both literally and figuratively, two offensive linemen stand above the crowd in this
year’s crop. The Miami Hurricanes’ Bryant "Mount" McKinnie, at about
6-7¾ and 325 pounds, and Texas’ 6-6, 365-pound Mike Williams are not just huge, they
are gifted athletes with football skills who could be among the first athletes drafted in
2002, provided they stay healthy. In fact, both could be top-10 picks if they go to the
Senior Bowl and prove themselves against the best defensive linemen in the country under
the watchful eye of hundreds of NFL scouts, coaches and executives.
Bryant McKinnie is a work in progress. He did not even play high school football
until his senior year and played defensive end that season. He moved to the offensive line
while at Lackawanna Junior College in Pennsylvania and then redshirted for developmental
purposes after coming to Miami in 1999. However, by the end of the 2000 season, McKinnie
was playing so well that Pro Football Weekly named him a first-team All-American. With
McKinnie’s size, superlong arms that almost hang down to his knees, above-average
foot quickness and mobility, balance and use of hands, getting around him can be almost as
hard as navigating the globe with a row boat, as Syracuse DE Dwight Freeney can attest. He
not only is huge, he is very athletic for his size. But if he is to fully realize his
potential, he will have to improve his flexibility and ability to anchor, work hard and
learn to handle a quick, inside counter move when the pass rusher crosses his face.
McKinnie is a guy with a limited football background who has come so far in such a short
period of time that it is hard to imagine how much further he can go. According to one
scout, if McKinnie really will pay the price, he can eventually be in the Anthony Munoz,
John Hannah and Larry Allen class of offensive linemen and a perennial All-Pro and future
Hall of Famer.
With 370-pound Leonard Davis at left tackle and 360-pound Mike Williams at right
tackle last year, Texas may have had the best set of big tackles in the history of college
football. Both players were not just huge widebodies, they were not really fat and were
very athletic for their size. Davis was chosen second (behind Michael Vick) in the NFL
draft, and while Williams may not go quite as high, some scouts believe he can be every
bit as good as Davis, if not better. While Williams is huge and not fat, he is not really
cut up or defined and has not been the greatest weight-room worker in the past. However,
with his natural strength, playing strength has never been a problem for him. But at
times, he will get in trouble by overextending, and he has had some problems pass blocking
against speedy, finesse-oriented defensive ends. On the plus side, Williams is a very
well-coordinated giant with quick hands and feet who can bend his knees, roll his hips and
explode into his blocks. He also is athletic and agile enough to recover when he gets
beat. Some scouts believe that Williams, a right tackle in college, can move to the left
side in the pros like the Buccaneers’ Kenyatta Walker did this season.
While others may get more publicity, the best offensive lineman in the Big 12 outside
of Williams may be Colorado’s Andre Gurode, who plays both center and guard.
When Gurode first came to Colorado in 1997, he was a 360-pound fat boy who redshirted. But
after turning baby fat into muscle and getting down into the 320-pound range, Gurode
became Colorado’s starting center in ’98 before a knee injury put him on the
shelf for a few weeks. He battled back to reclaim his starting job before the end of the
season and has not missed a start since, spending time at both center and guard. Gurode is
a mature leader with good instincts and quickness and a real tough guy with a
take-no-prisoners approach. He will go for the throat and work to finish his blocks. He
has huge hands and very long arms, can deliver a heavy punch and use his arms well. Gurode
is the offensive lineman the Buffaloes like to run behind. He not only can be a
road-grader type of run blocker, he also is a good pass protector who uses his very large
wingspan well. The knock on Gurode is that at times he will rely too much on his
upper-body strength and fail to keep his feet moving.
Boston College has produced a long line of NFL linemen, and the next name on the list
is fifth-year senior OT Marc Colombo, who is 6-7 and about 300 pounds with size
potential and upside, but he’s missed the last few games because of injury. He
started every game at right tackle in 2000 and won All-Big East honors. This year he has
been slowed by a sprained right knee (medial collateral ligament), but he still made the
move from right tackle to left tackle three games into the season. Scouts like
Colombo’s size and size potential, long arms, nasty streak and athletic ability, but
they wish he had a little more functional football strength and lower-body explosion.
However, if he can pass block well enough to play left tackle at the next level, he can be
a top NFL pick. He can prove to scouts he is able do that at the Senior Bowl.
Arizona State’s Levi Jones is the type of prospect that drives scouts
crazy. A former walk-on defensive lineman who moved to the offensive line, Jones has
started on the left side of Arizona State’s offensive line for the past three years
and has played left tackle the past two years. At 6-5 and 320 pounds with long arms, quick
feet and a big butt, he looks the part. And at times, he will play like a really good
athlete, show knee bend and hand punch and everything else scouts want to see. But at
other times, he comes across as being a lazy underachiever. Jones does not always control
his emotions as well as he should, and he gets sloppy with his techniques on occasion,
becoming a narrow-based blocker.
Auburn’s Kendall Simmons has started at least three games every year since
’97, but he wound up redshirting in ’99 because of two ankle injuries that had
to be surgically repaired. This season he may be the best offensive lineman in the
Southeastern Conference. Although a tad under 6-3 and not blessed with really long arms,
Simmons plays left tackle in college and is a good pass blocker. In fact, he probably
handled Syracuse’s pass-rushing demon, Dwight Freeney, as well as anyone this year
until Freeney went up against McKinnie. However, most scouts believe Simmons will wind up
as a left guard in the pros.
Texas A&M C Seth McKinney may be a better prospect coming out than his
brother Steve was, and Steve has been a very solid starter for the Colts ever since he
joined the team four years ago. Seth is a very hard worker with great intangibles who will
line up and play every down and give a great effort. He has a good feel for the game and
generally plays within himself.
Stanford OG Eric Heitmann is not that big, fast or strong, but he is a very
smart, efficient, durable and reliable player with great intangibles.
Utah’s Ed Ta’amu is a former defensive lineman who is developing into
a dominating player at guard with his size, strength and explosion. However, he is still
raw around the edges and needs to improve his attention to detail and techniques.
The biggest question about Tennessee OG-C Fred Weary may be what the doctors say
about his prior injuries. But he is a true warrior who can be a real road grader in the
running game. He also is a great team leader.
Colorado’s huge tackle, Victor Rogers, is another player with a lot of
prior injury problems that could weigh into the equation.
San Diego State OLT Chester Pitts is a good athlete with a limited football
background (no organized football until junior college) who has the size (6-6, 300-plus
pounds) and feet, but he must show he can anchor versus a bull rush and stay on balance.
He also could learn to use his hands better.
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