Steve Avila NFL Draft 2023: Scouting Report for TCU IOL

HEIGHT: 6'3.5"

WEIGHT: 332

HAND: 9 1/4"

ARM: 33"

WINGSPAN: TBD

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40-YARD DASH: 5.21

3-CONE: 7.85

SHUTTLE: 4.74

VERTICAL: 29.5"

BROAD: 8'2"

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POSITIVES

— Wide-bodied and stout base with very good play strength and competitive toughness.

— Heavy hands to deliver force and jolt at the point of attack in the run game to displace defenders.

— Excels on inside zone and gap schemes with the girth, brute force and flexibility to out-leverage, dig out and pin defenders on double-team, down and base blocks.

— Stout in pass protection, with the mobility in his hips and posture to absorb force, keep his head out of the block and quickly suppress the bull rush.

— Light, independent hands to strike, reset and quickly engulf rushers

— Efficient footwork out of his stance to create space. Has enough range to reach his landmark against widely aligned interior rushers.

— Does a nice job passing and snapping off penetrators before picking up loopers on basic line games and stunts. Has the processing skills and balance to pick up spiking ends when already engaged to prevent getting picked off.

— Had an excellent week of practice at the Senior Bowl.

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NEGATIVES

— Middling ability to suddenly redirect and change direction when on the move.

— Below-average lateral quickness limits ability to recover if he doesn't win the initial engagement.

— Will get caught with pads too high and allow defenders to create quick control and stalemates.

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2022 STATISTICS

— 15 starts at LG

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NOTES

— First-team All-Big 12 selection

— Former 3-star guard recruit out of South Grand Prairie High School in Grand Prairie, Texas. Started at left tackle as a senior.

— Started 35 career games at TCU across four different positions (17 at center, 15 at LG, two at RT and one at RG).

— Accepted an invite to the 2023 Reese's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.

— Training under Duke Manyweather in Frisco, Texas, in preparation for the combine.

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OVERALL

Steve Avila is a three-year starter inside TCU's Air Raid passing game with a 55-45 run-pass split and multiple run game. Avila has a naturally thick, sturdy frame with a strong center of gravity and solid arm length.

Avila wins as a run-blocker with good square power to drain and dish out force on double-teams, down and base blocks, screwing his feet into the ground to hold the point with heavy hands to dig out, widen and steer defenders off their spot when needed.

He is outstanding in the post on vertical double-teams, routinely covering up and overtaking interior run defenders on the plus side of the line of scrimmage. He has below-average redirect and change-of-direction skills that shifty defenders can exploit when they have a runway to work with, but Avila has solid initial quicks to close space on short pulls and quick climbs to engulf close-range targets.

In pass protection, Avila snaps out of his stance to create space off of the line with quiet, calm feet to maintain a strong base leading up to the point of attack. He shows light, independent hand strikes to punch, reset and keep his head out of blocks with a stout anchor against the bull rush. He is alert and active when uncovered, with the skills to pass off and pick up basic line games and stunts.

Avila does let his pads rise and can get out-leveraged against speed to power, but he shows active hands to re-leverage under and inside to regain position. His middling change-of-direction skills limit his ability to shift laterally and pick up late-loopers and blitzes that cross his face.

Overall, Avila has the size, play strength and good enough movement skills to keep things in front of him, square up defenders and end reps quickly with proven versatility to play across the interior. He would fit best inside a scheme centered around inside zone, duo and power run concepts.

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GRADE: 7.6 (Potential Impact Player)

OVERALL RANK: 39

POSITION RANK: IOL2

PRO COMPARISON: Justin Blalock

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn