Quinn Meinerz NFL Draft 2021: Scouting Report for Denver Broncos OL

HEIGHT: 6'2 7/8"

WEIGHT: 320

POSITIVES

—Broad frame with a powerful, well-rounded build and rugged playing style.

—Very good quickness out of his stance, burst and athletic ability on the move.

—Can drop his hips, root his feet and generate considerable force through the ground to anchor quickly.

—Extremely heavy hands with jarring power through his hips and core to generate easy movement at the point of attack.

—Diagnosed line games, stunts and blitzes quickly with active eyes and alertness in pass protection.

—Shows excellent competitive toughness to finish with authority on a snap-to-snap basis.

—Went to the Senior Bowl in the best shape of his life and dominated the competition.

NEGATIVES

—Steadily gained weight throughout the 2019 season and got up to around 335 pounds, resulting in a noticeable drop-off in balance and technique.

—Rarely tested in pass protection and will need to learn to refine his pass sets against a multitude of alignments and dramatic uptick in competition, especially at guard.

—Needs to shore up his initial footwork out of his stance and aiming points in the run game to generate consistent movement at the NFL level rather than relying on pure upper body strength as often as he did in college.

—Can reel in his aggressiveness and sharpen his angles when leading in space to more accurately line up smaller targets.

2020 STATISTICS

—Season was cancelled.

NOTES

—29 career starts, all at left guard.

—Invited and participated in the 2021 Senior Bowl.

—Revamped body composition from end of the 2019 season until the spring of 2021 in Mobile, going from 335 pounds to 305 for winter workouts with the team, back up to 320 for the Senior Bowl.

—Traveled to Canada in the summer to work on his uncle's fishing resort where he would often drop down to the 280 pound range, forcing him to cram weight back on in time for fall camp each season.

—Participated in track and field and wrestling in high school.

OVERALL

Meinerz has started 29 games at left guard in Peter Jennings' power/inside zone-based scheme that is centered around controlling the "A" gaps and throwing deep off of play-action. He has a broad frame and rugged playing style with an outstanding power base throughout his core and upper body that resulted in him steamrolling competition during most of the 2019 season.

Meinerz pairs starter-level play strength to generate easy movement and build his house to anchor with very good athletic ability to track down and punish smaller targets on the move. Meinerz was able to dominate competition without refined footwork and steadily gained weight throughout his last season until he was pushing 335 pounds in the playoffs, which sapped his balance and resulted in some uncharacteristically sloppy play.

After tweaking his technique and revamping his body in 2020, he showed up to the Senior Bowl in peak form and dominated. Meinerz has the play strength, competitive toughness, athletic ability and processing skills to start at center or guard early in his career with the tools to become an impact starter within his first contract.

GRADE: 7.9/10 (Round 2)

OVERALL RANK: 36/300

POSITION RANK: IOL4

PRO COMPARISON: Ryan Jensen

Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn