Player: Jamaree Salyer

School: Georgia

Height and Weight: 6’3”, 321 

Combine/Pro Day Results:

• 40: DNP
• Bench: 31
• Vertical Jump: 24”(Pro Day)
• Broad Jump: 8’2”(Pro Day)
• 3 Cone: DNP
• 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.7(Pro Day)
• Other Notes: I can’t find out why Salyer decided to skip everything except for the bench at the combine. It could be that he was not ready to test and compete, but not sure. At his pro day he did a couple other tests, but nothing special. If you compare it to the lineman at the combine, the shuttle would’ve been around the average, but his jumps were below the average. 

Strengths: Versatility, pass blocking, run blocking

Weaknesses: Slow, minimal athletic upside, blitzing backers, center of gravity

Projected Draft Day: Day 1/Day 2

Player Comparison: Austin Jackson

Player Summary: Salyer was primarily a tackle for the Bulldogs. At tackle he was a really solid player. He was a super effective pass blocker. Although he was able to handle power and speed rushers alike, he struggled a little more with bull rushers who got to build up a little momentum in their first couple steps. I thought Salyer did a really great job of transition blocking, and what I mean by that is he does a great job of giving off the guy he is blocking and picking up a guy trying to wrap around. He had pretty good vision for blitz and stunt pick up as a tackle. Salyer did struggle as a run blocker at tackle though. I think Salyer is great at the point of attack and makes great impact, but he has a tendency to struggle to maintain his blocks. It is not often you see him hold his block through to the whistle. He can also struggle to get to the second level; however on screens he has no problem slipping out and making a block in front of the ball carrier.

In the film I watched of Salyer at guard, I was impressed too; possibly even more impressed. At guard I saw the same great pass blocking I saw at tackle, but better run blocking. His run blocking was night and day different from tackle to guard. He showed a better ability to sustain blocks and get to the second level, and was pretty good at pulling. Here are my weaknesses for Salyer. First off, Salyer looks slow at times. It doesn’t seem like it was that big of a deal as he was still able to get out in front of plays as both a tackle and a guard, but it may become a more prominent issue in the pros. I also don’t believe that Salyer has the athletic upside that you would hope for or that some of the other prospects have, but if you are looking for a lineman that is ready to play right away Salyer is one of those prospects. In terms of technique the one issue I saw at both tackle and guard is that Salyer has a tendency to overextend his upper body on blocks and he can get “ole’d” and end up on the ground. He needs to keep a better center of gravity at times. The final weakness I noticed at guard specifically was his ability to read the defense and blitzing linebackers in particular, especially cross blitzing linebackers. I thought that he was pretty good at noticing blitzes when at tackle, so I’m not sure what the issue is in the switch to guard, but he does have a tendency to commit to helping the tackle too early sometimes and sometimes just completely whiffs on trying to block blitzing backers.

Overall, I think that Salyer is a really solid prospect. If you are a contender looking for a prospect who is ready to play right now and provide some positional flexibility, it’s Salyer. Personally, I think Salyer will end up at guard in the pros, but he could play either. As I spoke on earlier, Salyer doesn’t have the potential or athletic upside that other prospects have, but I feel like in most cases I’d rather have the proven prospect. Regardless of position I think that Salyer does have some things to work on but should be a quality player for whoever drafts him. Consensus seems to think that Salyer is a day 2 prospect, but I think Salyer is worthy of a day 1 pick. Most likely not top 10, but I could see him sneaking into the first round starting in the 20s.