T.J. Clemmings to Minnesota: Full Draft-Pick Breakdown

By selecting T.J. Clemmings from Pittsburgh, the Minnesota Vikings grabbed some of the best value in the draft, using the 110th pick to select a player that around draft media was ranked 27th overall by consensus.

As raw as a prospect can be, Clemmings switched from basketball as a junior in high school to football as a defensive end and was recruited to Pitt to play that position. Two years ago, he switched from a pass-rushing position to a pass protection position.

When speaking to gathered media in a conference call, Clemmings said that a "switch flipped" for him when moving to the other side of the ball, and he learned to play much more aggressively.

The results on the field are obvious. He plays with a nasty attitude and loves to finish.

What Clemmings can do is so much more interesting than what he can't do, but starting with what he can't may be more instructive.

It's easy to say that the Pitt prospect is raw and even easier to explain why: He's only played the position for two years and the sport for five. But the areas in which he needs to improve are a bit more complex.

He has consistently understood his role in the offense and picked up offensive assignments quickly, but his reaction off the snap, while quick, starts off with the wrong foot and plays a step behind. His leverage on second-level blocks is torn not just by his pad level, but by not playing square to the line.

What's fantastic about Clemmings, and one of the reasons he's a high-level prospect, is not necessarily his athletic ability, but how quickly he improved his game at Pitt. His leverage and pad level improved over the course of the year, and he learned to some degree how to take his hips with him through contact.

Those footwork and hand-placement fundamentals will take time to learn; they aren't natural body movements, so he can't see the field until he makes it muscle memory. Beyond that, he's still too willing to lose his leverage by popping out of his stance. He has poor patience and will compromise his balance because of it.

What he does have is tantalizing enough for NFL evaluators to overlook all that and consider him in the first round.

An immense wingspan helps, but the willingness to use it to lock out opposing defenders is better. His natural advantage allows him to uncoil his arms and strike first, and they pack a big wallop. His hand placement and timing is shockingly good, and with the speed and power of his strike, he can move or nullify even larger defensive ends.

When he's allowed to run block, he can move defenders around. His grip strength is incredible, and he has a natural feel for what to do with his hands. He'll drive the strongest defenders completely off the ball once he gets his hands on them and will finish plays. Clemmings' understanding of the angles inherent in the running play are excellent, as well. If he can't drive an opponent off the ball, he understands enough about the progression of the play to wall them off.

The raw but exciting offensive tackle isn't just a run-mauling machine, either, and he translates his aggressiveness in pass protection. He knows, generally speaking, when he can win with violence, when he can win with technique and when he can win by riding the edge-rushers out of the play, though he needs to be much more patient as he sets.

He can transition well and for a raw player not only shows heightened awareness of blitzes and delayed rushers, but a sophisticated understanding of the pass protection scheme—knowing whom to pass off and whom to engage.

Clemmings is a liability if he starts, but there were many reasons he was considered in the top 30 by some in the NFL draft community. Clemmings has exceptional character, incredible football smarts, extreme coachability and is one of the rare players who could be dominant both in pass protection and run blocking.

The speed at which he's picked up the game is unparalleled, and if the Vikings can fix his issues, none of which is difficult to correct individually (all of them together may be tough), then they'll have the steal of the draft.