O'Cyrus Torrence 2023 NFL Draft profile: Scout report for the Florida IOL

O’Cyrus Torrence, Florida

6’5”, 335 pounds; SR

A three-star recruit for Louisiana in 2019, Torrence started all but one of 36 games for the Ragin Cajuns across three seasons there, being named second-team All-Sun Belt in 2020 and improving to first-team the year after, for a group that averaged between 193 and 257 rushing yards in each of those. He decided to transfer to the SEC ahead of the ’22 season and continued his dominance against tougher competition, as he started 11 games at right guard for the Gators and was named a first-team All-American.

+ Looking at the massive build and natural force he brings, Torrence was made to play guard

+ Can create significant lateral movement on the front-side of inside zone runs and you frequently see him create cutback lanes in that same mold

+ Routinely lands his inside hand underneath the near shoulder-plate of defenders and is able to get that extra push to dig guys out of the gap

+ Has some really sticky, massive hands (11 and ¼ inches) and good dexterity to turn bodies and get his ball-carrier out to the edge with scoop-/reach-blocks, but also just to sustain blocks, as defenders try to throw him off

+ You regularly see him apply rotational force with the opposite hand to where he wants to turn interior D-linemen and get that guy to that side

+ Lands some forceful bumps just digging that inside shoulder into the down-lineman slightly showing in the gap next to him, whilst staying on track for the linebacker he’s responsible for

+ When he ends up transitioning to the second level and his assignments run themselves into traffic, he doesn’t just stop, but rather is looking for work and potentially peels back on a pursuit defender

+ And if he gets a straight shot at linebackers, you legitimately see the heads of those guys snap backwards at contact

+ Recognizes when guys on the second level run themselves out of action or are blitzed the wrong way and can pivot his base around to shield a D-lineman on the backside of lateral schemes

+ With his ability to anchor and ride wide rushers past the quarterback, you rarely see quarterbacks not being able to step up his way

+ Has the girth and base strength to take two-handed punches into his chest and absorb them, before he counters with his punches and dictates things

+ When he’s the one to attach his paws to the number of D-linemen, he can really take control of rushes throughout the play

+ Because of the way guys try to lean into him and ride him backwards, when he does catch them off-balance, Torrence can put them on the turf

+ Plays with his eyes up when unassigned and sliding a certain way in order to help out if guys counter towards the gap next to him, looking to dish out some rib-shots on nearby rushers when he’s unoccupied

+ And he makes catching these blitzing linebackers one-on-one look effortless when he has enough time to square them up, but even if he has to pass off the initial down-lineman and can’t brace for the secondary impact

+ Just has a knack for getting the job done and not allowing pressure to get to his quarterback, where he gets a piece of defenders late, just enough to create enough time for the ball to come out

+ Torrence had an extremely impressive showing against Georgia in 2022, where he took an All-American D-tackle in Jalen Carter completely out of the picture a couple of times

+ His track record in protection is just insane – zero sacks and just one QB hit allowed across 1501 pass-blocking snaps in four years as a starter, with eight hurries last season in the SEC being his highest mark

– You see him freeze his feet and go for two-handed strikes when taking those direct angles towards linebackers, which can be eluded

– While this comes with guys of his dimensions, Torrence’s foot quickness is just average and he may be challenged in new ways at the next level with twitchy interior defenders attacking the edges of his frame

– Does get caught overextending and shifting his weight over his toes at times, working against pass-rushers who have more of a runway against him by alignment

– A couple of times you will see him hold late into pass-sets when he really doesn’t need to, and draw unnecessary penalties

If you’re looking for a true guard, who can create easy movement in the run game and just end rushers by interior guys once he gets those massive paws latched onto them, Torrence is your guy in this class. He’s not the most light-footed guy or most graceful athlete out in space, but there really aren’t many negatives to find on his tape. Proving that he could handle the step up in class with his move to the SEC, after already putting together a stellar career at Louisiana, was a big piece in giving evaluators confidence that he will handle the next step too. Watching him continue to excel during Senior Bowl week and what he did against some of the top competition he’s faced, this is a first-round prospect for me all day long. The two names that came to mind for when watching him were Brandon Brooks and Mike Iupati – which I would be comfortable with taking Torrence in the range of the latter (17th overall back in 2010).

Grade: Mid-first round

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