DeMarcus Love NFL Draft Scouting Report

DeMarcus Love
6'4, 315 pounds | Offensive tackle/ guard | Arkansas

Agility: Love has good balanced steps but lacks to foot speed to be really effective in space.  His limited foot speed make it difficult for Love to reach the edge.  At times, Love will over compensate and get off balanced opening himself up for inside counter moves.  He also struggles with shifting his weight while changing directions which also impacts his ability to react to counter techniques.

Movement: When Love gets off the ball and into his stance quickly he maintains good balanced steps.  However, when a  speed rusher threatens the edge he becomes unbalanced.  In the running game, he is willing to climb to the second level but lacks the overall speed to effectively get out in front and block.  The key to Love's success is getting a good jump off the ball and beating defenders to a spot.

Pass blocking: Love does a nice job getting quickly set into his stance.  He avoids wasted hand motion which allows him to punch and recoil quickly.  He possesses a power punch that when landed can knocked the pass rusher off balance. Love has a strong anchor and sits into to his stance giving him the ability to remain balanced after initial contact.  He has shown that he is an effective Velcro player and it tough to disengage once he gets his hands on a defender.  However, Love plays short armed which limited his ability to control the rusher.  The biggest concern about Love's pass protection is his foot speed and ability to play in space.

Quickness: Getting out of his stance and into his set is the quickest part of Love's game.  He struggles to move his feet fast enough to change direction and set the edge.

Run blocking: Leverage and strength is how Love effectively moves defenders off the football.  He does a good job getting under the defender with inside hands.  That leverage allows him to use his strength and leg drive to create space and open holes.  Love also has the strength to remain engaged through contact while taking balanced steps to move the defender off the football.  He has the hustle and willingness to climb to the second level but his lack of quickness limit his potential in this area.  Overall, Love is a good run blocker that has a nasty streak to finish off plays.

Strength: There are several different areas of Love's game where his strenght is apparent.  He is able to move defenders off the football with his leg drive and upper body strength.  His heavy hands allow him to remain engaged through contact.  His good base gives him the ability to anchor through contact and remain balanced.

Technique: Love does a good job firing off the football and keeping his pad level low.  That low pad level allows him to remain balanced in both the run and passing game.  He routinely gets inside had placement giving him the ability to control the defender.  In pass protection, he keeps his hands out in front of his body with no wasted motion enhancing his ability to punch and recoil quickly. 

Final word: There is a lot to like about Love's game but his limited quickness might limit him to a future at guard.  His run blocking skills, balance, and strength make him a good fit for the guard position.  I am not sure how most NFL teams see him but what I saw has lead me to believe that he could be an excellent NFL guard.  Making the move would hide his deficiencies when playing in space and allow him to work to this strengths in the running game.