Saahdiq Charles NFL Draft 2020: Scouting Report for Washington Redskins' Pick
April 25, 2020
OT Saahdiq Charles, LSU
STRENGTHS
—Three-year impact player with 28 starts since arriving at LSU. Nine starts at left tackle in 2019 as LSU's group won the 2019 Joe Moore Award for college football's best offensive line.
—Turns 21 over summer and will be viewed as an ascending prospect who has played in the toughest conference in college football and comes with NFL-ready big-game experience.
—Positional versatility that could make him particularly valuable as the sixth lineman up on game day for teams.
—Excellent athlete in space who could be particularly effective in a zone scheme working as a guard. He is able to work laterally in combo blocks while climbing or overtaking with ease.
—Really impressive contact balance in his pass sets. He's able to take pressure on and combat it while remaining smooth in his set.
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WEAKNESSES
—Has missed time the last two seasons, including missing six games in 2019 for disciplinary reasons and three games in 2018 to injury.
—Punch timing is inconsistent and sometimes too early, causing him to overextend and lose some balance and ability to settle versus power.
—Needed to add overall mass to his frame, particularly in his lower half, and came in heavier at the combine than he played at, but his ability to sustain that mass and maintain his play style is a major unknown.
—On-field awareness needs improvement, particularly in angles working combo blocks to the second level. He doesn't have the natural feel to adjust his track when climbing and will get laser-focused on early moves in stunt games.
OVERALL
Saahdiq Charles was a major contributor on an award-winning offensive line in 2019 for the best team in college football. He's no stranger to high-level competition and is still a fairly young prospect. He has all of the fundamental traits to build upon, but he needs to make it a priority to start rounding out the various aspects of his game. Technique-wise, he doesn't have anything to hang his hat on right now. He's just solid, which when paired with good overall athleticism, can be enough to stick around in the NFL. Sticking around is the floor, but Charles has the look of an eventual starter with just a little bit of polish.
GRADE: 71
PRO COMPARISON: Mike McGlinchey/Shon Coleman