Chris Elkins NFL Draft 2014: Highlights, Scouting Report and More

Chris Elkins, OC, Youngstown State, (HT: 6'2¼", WT: 298 lbs)

Height	Weight	Arm	Hand	Wing
6022	289	30 5/8"	10	75 1/4"

Positives

• Great first step and lightning-quick small-area movements and twitches. 
• One of the most prolific offensive line talents in Youngstown State history. 
• Prospect with natural explosive traits. 
• Possesses natural athleticism; he was not invited to the combine but ran a hand-timed 40-yard dash at his pro day that would have put him in the top 10 percent of linemen in Indy, a vertical that would have pegged him fifth overall and broad jump and bench press numbers that were among the top half of combine OL participants, per Joe Scalzo of the Youngstown Vindicator. 
• Has great explosion into targets; he always seems to pack a very solid initial punch when able to land it properly. 
• Plays with good motor and operates with urgency. 
• Has great lateral agility and clearly puts great emphasis on his power steps; he does his best work on outside-zone and stretch-play designs, which allow him to kick out laterally and move defenders toward the sideline with the flow of the play. 
• Overall athleticism and lateral agility point strongly to a good fit in an NFL zone-blocking system. 
• Looks extremely fast when running upfield looking for work after running backs break big gains.
• Generally gets his assignment taken care of, even when it doesn't look pretty; when viewing his play over a series of games, evaluators will realize he's notably efficient. 
• Quicker to the second level than linebackers anticipate and very productive with hustle and motor in this aspect. 
• Played guard at a very high level at Youngstown State prior to switching to center for his senior season; he comes with interior line-position versatility but projects as a better fit at center given his strength at the second level when uncovered versus four-man fronts. 

Negatives

• Lacks ideal size; he seems a bit slight of stature even when viewed among the non-elite competition he faced at the collegiate level. 
• Has shown noticeable issues with overextension when getting his base too wide and leaning on pass-rushers. 
• Enters engagement with his head down far too often and frequently lets agile line presences shed off or cast him aside like a matador does to a charging bull. 
• Lacks great strength in leg drive. 
• Hand placement and general positioning coming into engagement is enthusiastic but oftentimes ineffective and messy. 
• Center prospect more adept at getting the defense flowing laterally with him to his responsibility than mauling the opposition with power. 
• Can get his feet set too early in engagement and lose control of the battle; he's very susceptible to jerk moves designed to capitalize on out-of-control forward momentum. 
• Appears erratic in setting and mirroring; he has a confusing essence of "all over the place" to his game as opposed to the preferred "steady rock" presence evaluators would like to see. 
• Rarely wins battles with power alone. 
• Stands straight up out of his stance and post-snap far too often, which leads to pad-level issues and occasional point-of-attack weakness. 
• Late to recognize delayed pressure and spends too much time on the ground following frantic attempts to redirect. 
• Has very short arms. 

Personal Notes (via Youngstown State Athletic Department)

• Parents are Loree Wagoner and Chad Elkins.
• Has two brothers and two sisters.
• Birthday is June 24.
• Major is general studies.
• Is the 2013-14 recipient of the Football Alumni Players Scholarship.
• Grade for season was 87 percent (highest in four years since coach Eric Wolford joined the staff).
• Had a grade above 90 percent twice.
• Played 717 snaps in 2013 and had just four missed assignments per the coaching staff.
• Did not allow a sack during 2013 and only two quarterback hurries on the year (per the offensive line coach).

Grades by Alex Dunlap

Overall

Chris Elkins is an explosive athlete who was clearly a versatile and important part of what Youngstown State has done offensively over the last three seasons. Evaluators will be drawn to his great motor and apparent toughness as well. Explosive traits cannot be taught and are the catalyst for too many positive athletic feats to count. 

Elkins is currently not a well-prepared prospect, however. He gets his eyes down too much and has consistent issues with balance. His natural gifts for getting to the second level and getting opponents moving laterally are often outweighed by his lack of power and apparent need for focus on remedial fundamentals. Elkins can't stick on his blocks, and it's a rare sight to see him consistently demoralizing the competition. Elkins hangs in there and does a stand-up job over the course of games but does so lacking elite functional traits. 

Draft Projection: 7th round-UDFA