Ben Ijalana NFL Draft Scouting Report

Ben Ijalana
6'4, 317 pounds | Offensive tackle | Villanova

Agility: Overall, Ijalana is a solid athlete and possesses good foot speed.  He struggles to shuffle his feet has he works his way to the edge but that is because of poor technique..  He has good change of direction ability and coordination between his upper and lower half. 

Movement: It is apparent that Ijalana's lack of upper level coaching and experience lead to poor technique and limited balance.  When watching him play, you have to take in account this fact because he appears to have poor movement but with some coaching he would appear more fluid.  With that being said, he is not an elite athlete but does have some balance and coordination to his game.

Pass blocking: Ijalana quickly gets out of his stance and into his kick slide.  Once in his set, he has a tendency to back pedal and collapse the pocket.  He needs to shuffle and slide towards the edge rather than backpedal into the pocket.  Ijalana's long arms are a real asset in pass protection has it allows him to keep defenders off his frame.  He tends to play a little high which limits his leverage and ability to absorb contact.

Quickness: Overall, Ijalana has good quickness that is hindered by poor footwork.  He has explosiveness off the football and the ablity to reach defenders at the 2nd level.

Run blocking: When evaluating an offensive lineman you want to see a bit of a nasty streak and Ijalana has the drive to finish off plays.  He has a quick first step that gives him an advantage in getting inside hands and leverage.  He uses his long arms to lock out the defender and drive them off the football.  Ijalana needs to work on being more consistent with this technique and pad level but overall he has the skills to be an effective run blocker in the NFL.

Strength: Ijalana's upper body strength allows him to deliver a strong punch and remain engaged through contact.  He has good lower body strength which is apparent when he drives defender off the football.  However, he isn't a natural bender and has a slender lower half.  Against the lower level competition, he was able to anchor but I have concerns about the competition he will face in the NFL.

Technique: Coaching is going to be key to Ijalana's development into a NFL player.  He doesn't have a lot of experience and needs to work on a lot of different areas of his game.  It first starts with consistently keeping his pad level low which he has shown a tendency to get high.  His footwork in both pass protection and run blocking are less than ideal.  He needs to work on taking shorter more coordinated steps in order to remain balanced throughout the play.  Ijalana's kick slide is more of a backpedal and needs to be more of a shuffle and slide.

Final word: Ijalana is a good looking prospect with the a ton of upside.  His overall build and athletic ability will intrigue NFL teams because he is basically an un-molded piece of clay.  I have concerns about his weight distribution and technique but most of those issues can be corrected with coaching.  Something, you cannot teach is long arms and Ijalana has the length to effectively lock out defenders.  He will also get some love because of his versatility.  Ijalana has the size and skills to play either tackle or guard in the NFL.