Senior Bowl Scouting Notes: OT Blake Freeland, BYU

Blake Freeland is a very promising offensive tackle prospect in the NFL with his dominant size and strength. He took over in 2019 as a true freshman, dropping his redshirt season to start the last seven games and played well enough never to look back. The only real concern that I see with Freeland’s game is his lack of bend, which I’m not sure if that’s more of an attribute to his height or if it’s a situation where Freeland is stiff as an athlete.

Blake Freeland

OT – BYU Cougars

HT: 6072
WT: 305
Year: Super Junior
High School: Herriman (Herriman, UT)
Rating: 3-star (0.8418)

Projected Draft Grade: Future Starter

Projection: 4th/5th Round

BYU OT Blake Freeland offers a lot with his hands.

He keeps pressure off of his outside hand to allow him to reset when needed and strikes accurately with that inside hand to give himself a lever to control the man across from him with. pic.twitter.com/eIYeEIE7WL
— Cory (@fakecorykinnan) November 29, 2022

Blake Freeland scouting notes

Pros:

Good lateral quickness.
Good upper body, flashes solid power on finishes.
Strong anchor. Can shift and adjust again very quickly. Has a good lean that gives him some room to bend, although he doesn’t show much bend ability.
Hand placement is good, not great.
Very strong and sturdy pass protector.
Very consistent as a pass blocker.
Picks up on stunts and other twists well, and moves seamlessly to take the proper assignment.

Cons:

Doesn’t have great speed, but he’s suitable enough to pull or work to the boundary when he has to.
Will surrender handwork to more finessed defenders but overall is good.
Doesn’t have a lot of downhill strength, and I think it’s because he’s so tall and so long that he struggles to get low enough to win that leverage and push the defender back.