Joshua Garnett NFL Draft 2016: Scouting Report, Grade for 49ers Rookie

POSITIVES

A two-year starter at Stanford, Joshua Garnett is a mean man in the run game and a savvy pass protector at left guard. A team captain in 2015, Garnett was the Outland Trophy winner and took home the Morris Trophy Award for the Pac-12 Lineman of the Year.

Garnett is a road-grader in the run game, using a powerful body to clear paths and work upfield to linebackers. He maintains his balance and body control while working from a chip or combination block at the line of scrimmage into space. His pad height is impressive, and he wins with leverage.

His awareness and instincts will likely wow NFL teams. He picks up blitzes and stunts with ease and understands how to get the angle on defenders to drive them out of the play. He locates well on the move and can be dominant when pulling around the edge. Garnett will put a body on linebackers and drive them into the dirt.

A natural run-blocker, Garnett’s toughness helps him in pass protection. He has the length and hand power to stack up defenders and plays with knee bend and a coiled stance.

NEGATIVES

Teams have mentioned that Garnett has a soft body and will need to work on his conditioning to play every down in the NFL. Stiff hips show up at times on film and could be attributed to poor flexibility.

Garnett was stronger than many of the defenders he faced in college and let his technique get sloppy at the point of attack while he used his upper-body strength to overpower them. That won’t work in the pros.

Oregon’s DeForest Buckner shut down Garnett by basically sitting on him all game, keeping him from getting upfield in the run game. Teams put more weight on marquee matchups, and when facing the best defender in the conference, Garnett looked average.

COMBINE RESULTS

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 312 lbs.

40 Time: 5.32s

Arm Length: 33 ⅞"

3-Cone: 7.62s

Short Shuttle: 4.34s

PRO COMPARISON: Josh Sitton, Green Bay Packers
FINAL GRADE: 6.90/9.00 (Round 2—Rookie Starter)