NFL DRAFT 2018: COLBY GOSSETT

The NFL draft is just days away, and by this point each player has been analyzed, scrutinized, and romanticized by every NFL guru from Kalamazoo to Calcutta. We here at pigskinpress.com turn once again to our director of scouting Nathan Cooper to help us look deeper into the draft at some guys from the group of five that may be a real steal on draft day!

Colby Gossett Appalachian State

Right Guard

Year: 5SR

Jersey: #70

Hometown: Cumming, GA

Games Scouted: 2017 #4 Wake Forest, #6 @ Idaho, #11 @ Georgia State, #12 Louisiana,

Senior Bowl Practices (Live), Senior Bowl (Live) 2017 Stats: 13 GP, 13 Starts Career Stats: 47 GP, 46 Starts All-Star Game: Senior Bowl

Background/Notes

Started 46 of his 47 games played with 39 games/38 starts at Right Guard and 8 starts at Right Tackle
2x First Team All-Sun Belt (Coaches)
Major in Management
2-Star in 2013 (247Sports)

Character – A

No concerns

Medical – A

No concerns

Strengths

Very good anchor ability
Good pass block skill
Power at the POA

Weaknesses

Slow feet
Not very effective getting to the 2nd level
Adequate balance and body control
Slow punch

Summary

Gossett projects as a Right Guard at the next level, but has the capability to be a multi-position backup at both guard positions and Right Tackle. He played Right Guard and Right Tackle at Appalachian State in his 47 games played. He is a decent reactive athlete, but doesn’t have great short-area quickness. He doesn’t look incredibly flexible and bends more at the waist than the knees. He plays hard and competes with toughness on each play. He brings some physicality to his blocks, although it’s not always there. In the run game, he shows the ability to maul at the POA when he plays straight ahead or down blocks, but struggles to get his head across when reaching defenders mainly on his inside shade. He comes off the ball with power, but lacks some explosion out of his stance. He gets vertical push with power. He doesn’t have great range or quickness. In getting to the 2nd level, he doesn’t have the balance or body control to make blocks with consistency. When he tries to get to the 2nd level, he seems clueless once he gets there. He has slow, heavy feet and struggles to get to blocks away from his line. On occasion, he will lunge at the POA. Against Wake Forest, there were two or three times that #93 swam him off the line because he came out lunging and he fell forward to the ground. In space, he shows times where he can get out on a defender and keep his feet moving and driving, but most of those times it’s against a smaller defender. In the pass game, he brings good pass block ability. He is strong at the POA and shows the ability to short-set anchor. At times, he will get high, but uses his strength to readjust and re-anchor. He shows good reaction against stunts and games up front, but sometimes doesn’t always make the play because of his slow feet. He has a slow punch and will sometimes grab at the POA, which allows defenders to get their hands on. Gossett should come in and use his versatility to backup multiple positions and vie for a starting spot. He could show some potential to start in a few years, but will need some seasoning early on to become more polished as a pass blocker and more developed as a run blocker.

NFL Comparison: Jack Mewhort, Colts (2nd Round, 2014) Gossett and Mewhort compare favorably in size and skills. They both have experience at tackle in college, albeit Gossett at right and Mewhort at left. They both have some mauling ability and show good anchor quality in the pass game, but they don’t have much range and have slow feet.

Grade: 6.2 (Late 3rd Round)

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