Stone Forsythe NFL Draft 2021: Scouting Report for Seattle Seahawks OT

HEIGHT: 6'8"

WEIGHT: 307

POSITIVES

—Very tall and has an athletic, lean build with premier length

—Fluid, smooth footwork with excellent snap timing as a pass protector on a variety of sets (45-degree angle, vertical, and short sets), regularly beating defenders to the spot

—Impressive core strength and contact balance in his anchor with the leverage and grip strength to lift and strain to slow down the bull rush

—Syncs his hands and feet to time up powerful strikes well in pass protection while keeping rushers at his fingertips and his head out of the block

—Strong finisher with the desired effort and physicality needed to sustain blocks

—Above-average athletic ability with the movement skills to track down targets on screen releases and as a puller around the edge

NEGATIVES

—Difficult for him to sustain a low pad level as a run-blocker while giving easy access to his frame, leaving him susceptible to the push-pull technique and falling off angle drive blocks

—Needs to tighten path and angles on his climb to the second level; vulnerable to shifty backers undercutting his blocks

—Adequate lateral quickness on his power step to cut off inside counters

2020 STATISTICS

—12 starts at left tackle

NOTES

—40 career game appearances with 28 career starts (25 at left tackle and three at right tackle)

—Training for the draft under LeCharles Bentley in Arizona

—His father Ray played OL for the Bengals as well as in NFL Europe and the Arena League

OVERALL

Forsythe is a multiple-year starter at left tackle who has seamlessly filled in at right tackle mid-game on several occasions to provide valuable positional versatility playing both tackle spots. He has tremendous size, length and efficiency in pass protection with above-average play strength and athletic ability.

Listed at 6'9", Forsythe uses excellent snap timing and initial quickness out of his stance with smooth, fluid footwork to consistently beat defenders to the spot using a variety of pass sets with powerful strikes to punch through the hands of pass-rushers and establish quick leverage into their frame. Despite being so tall, he is able to absorb the bull rush and speed to power well, generating force through his in-steps with an effective double-under technique to lift, strain and find his anchor quickly.

Forsythe's above-average athletic ability with his sheer size is an asset on screens and pulling around the edge, but his pad level and hand placement on tightly aligned first-level defenders are below average at best, leaving him susceptible to falling off blocks too often, especially against the push-pull technique. Forsythe is an immediate starter at right tackle primarily because of the high level of proficiency he has in pass protection, but he is a limited run-blocker who will likely struggle to become more than adequate, at least early in his career until he can learn to improve or compensate for his obvious deficiencies.

GRADE: 8.0/10 (Immediate NFL starter, 1st-2nd round)

OVERALL RANK: 29/300

POSITION RANK: OT6

PRO COMPARISON: Nate Solder

Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn