Florida's D.J. Humphries Has Potential to Be NFL's Next Franchise Left Tackle

Every draft season has late risers throughout the process that emerge as high-quality prospects. As underclassmen declare for the draft, NFL teams and media alike go back to study surprise early entrees.

One of the surprising entrees in the 2015 class is Florida offensive tackle D.J. Humphries, and his potential has been unearthed as he’s gone through the draft process.

"

DJ Humphries was very impressive vs SC, UGA & LSU. However, Shane Ray got after him in the Missouri game. Still think DJ is a 1st rd guy

— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) February 6, 2015"

NFL draft experts Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network and Matt Miller of Bleacher Report were quick to find that Humphries has immense talent. Just days after he declared for the draft, each analyst tweeted out how much they like his film. His natural athleticism and strength were major positives.

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Didn't love him early, after more games, think he's a natural. Rd2 now RT @LynyrdSkynyrd35: what are your thoughts on DJ Humphries

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) February 7, 2015"

The knock on Humphries was his size. His listed playing weight of 285 was about 20 pounds too light for the NFL’s standards. At times, his lack of bulk would show up on film as he’d get bull rushed with ease by powerful rushers.

Then the combine came, and Humphries measured in at 6’5”, 307 pounds. That’s a solid playing weight as a rookie in the NFL. By adding so much muscle, Humphries also showed how seriously he is taking his career.

Dedication to football and taking care of your body are so important for success. Character is impossible to truly evaluate, but it is a factor that can determine whether potential is fulfilled or not. By putting in time in the weight room and sticking to nutritional guides, Humphries is already showing that he can be a very successful person in the NFL.

On the field, Humphries has a lot of good qualities. He’s still raw in his development, though. We’re going to look at two major facets of his game to see why he has the potential to be the next franchise left tackle in the NFL.

Athleticism

Quantifying athleticism is somewhat easy to do since the combine measures it for us. Between scores for lateral agility, vertical explosion and overall speed, we can compare how athletic a player is off the field. Although that athleticism isn’t the only factor, it is indeed important.

The athleticism shown in shorts has to translate onto the field. Every player will get beaten at some point. Being able to recover from losing early in the snap is critical for offensive linemen to be successful.

Athleticism is a major crutch to fall back on, when necessary, in pass protection. There will be times when the defender jumps the snap perfectly and creates an angle that is nearly impossible to overcome. See below for a good example.

Against Missouri defensive end Shane Ray, Humphries had to be on high alert at all times. Ray excels when he can time snaps perfectly. He has a good burst off the snap and knows that his speed is going to get him into the pocket when he can get the right angle.

Humphries did very well in the first half against Ray. He allowed one pressure by my own tally. And although that one pressure is the one shown above, there are still some positives to take from the “loss.”

Right off the snap, Ray has the advantage. He’s already working around Humphries because he correctly jumped the snap. He gets around the corner well and has the direct line to the quarterback. But then Humphries recovers and delivers this jarring blow.

Ray goes tumbling to the ground because of Humphries’ power. In the screenshot above, we see where Humphries was able to disrupt Ray’s path to the backfield. His powerful shove sends Ray to the ground. All the quarterback had to do is step up in the pocket a little to avoid a collision.

Florida’s offense was a run-first attack, so Humphries shined more often there as he had more opportunities to. His ability to move in space as a run-blocker was highly impressive. He was often the leading blocker upfield because he gets to the second level so efficiently.

Humphries has consistently shown the ability to get to linebackers. His lower weight showed as he struggled to maintain blocks, but now 22 pounds heavier, he should be able to deliver blows better. If he can place his hands on defenders a little bit sooner, he’ll only be that much more valuable to an offense.

Against LSU, Humphries showed an excellent ability to get to the linebackers on zone reads. Above we see a play where he’s three yards upfield and using his length to lock up the defender. This is a perfect illustration of intelligence, athleticism and technique.

Technique

The other critical area that Humphries shows considerable talent in is technique. Proper technique can help hide athletic limitations or late reactions to plays. But when an offensive tackle has great athleticism along with consistent technique, you’re looking at a special player.

We’ve seen examples of Humphries’ athleticism above. He moves incredibly well to the second level. His ability to kick slide and protect the pocket is made possible by his athleticism.

But his technique is the area to refine. Humphries will flash good technique throughout games, but when he fails, it is usually disastrous. His goal should be to replace the bad plays with decent plays. Giving his quarterback the chance to make a play is a priority.

The above play is an example of Humphries getting a late start to the play. As Ray jumps out, Humphries is slow getting out of his snap. This results in a strip-sack for Ray.

Plays like that are not the normal result of a bad play for Humphries, but they cannot happen often. He tries to rely on his athleticism instead of technique, and Ray is basically unchallenged as he turns the corner. The proper play would be to use his outside arm to contain Ray, and then shove him around the pocket with his inside arm.

Most of the time, Humphries does have good technique in his pass protection sets. The best offensive tackles stay patient in their set then send a punch into the rusher’s chest as he approaches. A strong, effective punch to the chest will end momentum immediately. It is critical to find linemen with enough length and functional power to succeed in pass protection.

Humphries has very good patience throughout his pass protection. He doesn’t bend at his waist to hurry his contact with the defender. This is critical. Once a blocker bends at the waist, his balance has been compromised, and the defender can utilize a variety of moves to get into the pocket.

On the play above, notice Humphries’ patience. He kick-slides back to mirror LSU defensive lineman Danielle Hunter then throws his punch as Hunter spins. Since Humphries keeps his back straight and shoulders over his toes, he is able to move with Hunter. There is no panic from Humphries, and he shuts down a dangerous pass-rusher.

There are numerous examples available for Humphries’ power and hand placement. His ability to jar defenders and effectively end their efforts is what a franchise left tackle can routinely execute. Humphries made this next play against Ray on a 2nd-and-long pass attempt.

Ray tries to go inside out on Humphries with his feet and then use his off-arm as a bat. Humphries mirrors Ray well then gets his hands on Ray’s chest. Ray is toast at this point, and he makes zero impact on the play.

It is critical that a left tackle executes with power, hand placement and balance. Athleticism helps make these things easier to do, but technique can be improved through practice. Athleticism cannot be improved as dramatically.

For consistency’s sake, Humphries will need to execute plays like the one above. Notice how Humphries is locked in with Ray. His hands are on the inside of Ray’s chest, and Ray has no way to escape because Humphries has maintained proper balance. This is exactly the form that franchise left tackles take on a play-to-play basis.

Outlook

Florida’s D.J. Humphries is big, mean and strong. The fact that he added more than 20 pounds before the combine is a major positive. His work ethic and body are fit for the NFL.

Athletically, Humphries is going to be able to overcome deficiencies with technique a decent amount of the time. His kick-slide can be a little more smooth and consistent with his chops back, but that should improve with experience. He offers a great blend of length and strength. That is what sets him apart from the rest of the tackle class.

Humphries’ technique is, at times, brilliant. A few snaps a game, he will lose integrity and cross his feet or be late getting out of his stance. Those snaps need to be cleaned up for him to realize his immense upside.

Overall, Humphries may not be fantastic as a rookie lineman. But as his career progresses into his second, third and fourth year, he should bloom into a star at tackle. His ability to be a dynamic blindside left tackle shouldn’t be understated.

All stats used are from sports-reference.com.

Ian Wharton is an NFL Draft Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. 

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