NFL Draft 2026 Scouting Report for Auburn OT Xavier Chaplin

Brandon ThornOct 12, 2025

Xavier Chaplin is a long-limbed, wide-bodied tackle prospect with good play strength who casts a wide net with strong hands to end reps quickly once latched. Chaplin needs to shore up his footwork and overall consistency to protect his edges, but he displays the physical traits to develop into a mid-tier, functional starter.

Chaplin is a 6'7", 348-pound tackle prospect, who entered the Virginia Tech program as a 3-star recruit in the 2022 class before transferring to Auburn in January of 2025.

Chaplin was honorable mention All-ACC selection in 2024 after starting 12 games at left tackle. He started 13 games at left tackle in 2023.

Brandon Thorn: Brandon is the author of the Trench Warfare newsletter, which focuses exclusively on offensive and defensive line evaluation. He also contributes as an analyst to Establish the Run, serves as the scouting coordinator for OL Masterminds and is a selection committee member for the Joe Moore Award.

Where He Wins

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL: AUG 29 Auburn at Baylor

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- Thick, long limbs with strong hands and good play strength.

- Active hands and large wingspan cover up tardy feet and make it a chore for rushers to beat him clean.

- Sets a firm anchor and does a nice job keeping defenders at his fingertips to maximize his length.

- Establishes first meaningful contact well on kick-out blocks to latch, wall off and create a lane on the frontside of zone runs.

Areas of Improvement

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- Persistently steps under himself against rushers with a good get-off attacking high-side that forces him to heel click and/or crossover to expand his set points, effectively creating a short corner on an island.

- Oftentimes late to his landmark on backside cut-offs due to mediocre foot quickness and/or inefficient footwork.

- Heavy and rigid on angle-drive blocks into contact leaves him late to recover, resulting in him struggling to adapt when the picture changes post-snap (slants, spikes, gap exchanges, etc.).

- Multiple critical false start penalties against Oklahoma in Week 4.