Flashback to my last time walking off Kyle Field. Time really does fly by. Best fans in the country.… https://t.co/OMvIxQSK7v
— Germain Ifedi (@GermainX1) November 29, 2015
The Tweet above indicates Germain Ifedi will turn pro and enter the 2016 draft. It’s not a big shock and was expected. So how good is he?
The Aggies flirted with moving Ifedi to left tackle this year. Luke Joeckel and Jake Matthews also made the switch before becoming top-ten picks. Ifedi, for whatever reason, stayed at right tackle.
I went back and watched two Texas A&M games from this season to review how he performed. He played better than I remembered on the first viewing. He’s an enormous 6-5 and 320lbs yet moves superbly. His footwork is quite brilliant for a man his size — his kick slide is good, he moves freely to the second level. In the two games I watched he didn’t get beat once off the edge by a speed rush.
There’s very little ‘bad weight’ to his frame — he’s an enormous tackle and most of it is muscle. When a D-end tries to hand fight he usually absorbs the defender and it’s over. Technically he had some nice blocks — turning his man to open up a crease and moving people off the LOS to create a running lane. He has the athleticism to adjust on the move and if he ever moved to guard he’d have no trouble pulling or kicking out to the next level.
He kind of looks like a more athletic James Carpenter who’s in better shape. I like his chances of playing tackle in the NFL because of the athletic upside. He moves a lot better than Carpenter (who in fairness was more of a run blocker — and did it very well at Alabama).
I’ve seen quite a few complaints about his power in the run game but these issues didn’t show up in the two contests here. I thought he actually showed good leverage and punch to drive a couple of defenders off the line. Perhaps it’s more of a technique issue? Certainly to look at Ifedi you wouldn’t assume any lack of power.
He’s also quite the engaging and personable interview. He speaks very well. I suspect teams will like him when they meet with him.
Ifedi received a second round grade prior to the 2015 draft (he was contemplating declaring). Having watched Joeckel and Matthews rise as high as they did, you can understand why he backed himself to stay at A&M for another year.
The important thing to remember is — players with second round grades are going to be taken in the first frame. Remember last year when there was approximately 15 prospects graded in the first round? How else do you get to 32? Ifedi has every chance of being a top-25 pick even with a second round reference.
In terms of the Seahawks, he’d be an interesting prospect. If Russell Okung moves on and they seriously do think Garry Gilliam can switch to left tackle, Ifedi could be a decent replacement on the right side. As long as they upgraded the interior line (Alex Mack?) this could work for Seattle.
Ifedi’s size and raw athleticism makes for an interesting combination. If the Seahawks make the playoffs and you’re pinning your hopes on an offensive tackle being available beyond the 21st pick — this could be your best bet.
