Top 10 interior offensive linemen in the 2019 NFL Draft

#10 Dru Samia, Oklahoma

Dru Samia

This former top-15 offensive tackle recruit from Sacramento was an excellent four-year contributor on the Sooners offensive line. Samia started nine games at right tackle as a freshman and in the season-opener the following year before moving inside and earning honorable mention All-Big XII by league coaches. He was a second-team all-conference performer these last two seasons and one of three players to receive honors for the conference’s top offensive lineman of the year.

The 47-game starter is a technically sound run-blocker. He has a good initial stab to gain leverage on the defender in front of him and he takes his initial steps the same way even if there is no obvious responsibility, before climbing to the second level.

Samia is very active on zone schemes, where he is looking to tag onto nose tackles from the side and lets the linebacker come up before putting hands on him. I like the way he turns bodies at the line and continues to drive them off the spot or even put hands on a linebacker trying to scrape over the tape.

At 6’5”, around 300 pounds Samia is an outstanding athlete, which shows in his mobility to pull out in front, where he comes out of his stance explosively and gets balanced before contact. He was used to kick out the play-side defensive end and he does a nice job turning that guy’s pads towards the opposite end-zone after initiating contact, to open up big holes. Overall I really like the nastiness Samia and all those guys on the Oklahoma O-line play with.

In pass protection the athletic guard is looking to deliver the blow and then settles down. His hand-placement is excellent and he has feet of a dancing bear on that OU interior. Not only like the initial strike, but you see the ability mirror and counter with hands as defenders try to knock them away.

Samia keeps active feet when he doesn’t have a direct assignment and is looking to help out one of his teammates. He was pulled around quite a bit to sell play-action as well. Samia did not give up a single sack in 2016 or 2018. During the Senior Bowl game he gave Boston College’s Zach Allen a little shove after he committed a roughing the passer penalty on the quarterback and I like that attitude to protect his guy.

Samia has a little wind-of of his arms at times, which makes it easier for defenders to knock them away and make this whiff. He struggles with long, athletic D-lineman, who can take advantage of his aggressive pass sets by grabbing the back of his pads and arm-overing him. He is also a little late at sliding back over against twists. If there is one position where I would take a gritty, technically sound player over one that is more athletic and talented one it is offensive guard. That is why I would definitely select teammate Ben Powers over Samia, who many love because of the type of athlete he is.

While I do have size and length concerns with Samia going to the NFL after a sub-par Big XII competition, I think he will work out in the league, but he might have to move to center or at least add a couple of pounds through the weight room. I love the movement skills, the competitiveness and technique. He just needs to enter an NFL program and add more functional strength to put it out on the field.