Jaelyn Duncan NFL Draft 2023: Scouting Report for Maryland OT

HEIGHT: 6'6"

WEIGHT: 306

HAND: 9 1/4"

ARM: 33 5/8"

WINGSPAN: TBD

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40-YARD DASH: 5.1

3-CONE: TBD

SHUTTLE: TBD

VERTICAL: 31.5"

BROAD: 9'5"

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POSITIVES

— Easy, fluid mover with light feet out of his stance, gliding to set points and landmarks in pass-protection and effectively tracks targets on the move in the run game

— Very good quickness to close space and get into his initial fit on jump sets, kick-out and cut-off blocks

— Flashes light hands, fluid base and overall mirroring skills in pass-protection to adjust to counter moves, keep his base and wall off the corner

— Had a good week of practice in Mobile at the Senior Bowl, showing improvement using his hands in pass-protection

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NEGATIVES

— Unreliable use of hands, posture and balance in pass-protection

— Tends to wind his hands up and around to establish contact on rushers causing him to be persistently late and/or missing his target

— Plays with an open, exposed chest that leaves him vulnerable to getting blown open and losing down the middle or inside against speed to power

— Struggles to re-leverage his hips and hands in the second and third phases (after the initial fit) of run-blocks, leading to below-average sustain, steer and finishing skills

— Provides minimal thump or power when feeding defensive tackles over on double-teams. Looks content with getting into position rather than delivering force on contact

— Had his worst games against the best competition in 2022 (Ex: Michigan and Ohio State)

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2022 STATISTICS

— 12 starts at left tackle

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NOTES

— Former 4-star tackle recruit out of St. Frances Academy in Owings, Maryland

- No. 145 overall, No. 11 OT, per 247Sports composite rankings

— 39 career starts at Maryland; 38 at LT and one at center

— Accepted an invite to the 2023 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama

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OVERALL

Jaelyn Duncan is a four-year starter inside Maryland's balanced offense with 39 starts, including 38 at left tackle and 12 at LT during the 2022 season. Duncan has a very good athletic ability and is a fluid, easy mover.

Duncan excels at reaching his landmarks and beating rushers to the spot in pass-protection with flashes of light, independent use of hands and mirroring skills to redirect against counter moves, expand his set points and protect the corner against high-side rushes. While the movement skills at nearly 300 pounds are enticing, Duncan's use of hands is inconsistent, leading to elongated, wide and late strikes that leave his chest open and exposed against speed to power and bull-rushes. This leads to erratic strike location, and timing and too many quick, clean losses inside, down the middle and around the edge.

Duncan is an adequate run-blocker that does a nice job closing space on defenders and getting into initial position, including on the move when climbing or leading in space. After the initial fit, Duncan often will roll onto his toes and let his pads rise during the second (drive) and third (finish) phases of blocks. This leads to subpar sustain and finishing skills with him being exposed to getting shed and falling off of too many blocks. Duncan's physicality and ability to play with power is also sporadic, with too many instances on film of him being soft on contact when attempting to feed defensive tackles on double-teams or dig interior run-defenders out of the hole on overtakes and scoops.

Overall, Duncan has plus movement skills with some flashes of sound technique, but is overall unsound and unreliable with his hands, use of leverage and ability to sustain blocks. Duncan has the high-end athletic ability to offer a long-term upside, but will need to go to the ideal situation under a great line coach to see it come to fruition.

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GRADE: 6.5 (Potential Role Player/Round 4)

OVERALL RANK: 136

POSITION RANK: OT12

PRO COMPARISON: Jason Spriggs

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn