Andrew Donnal, 6'6" 313Rankings
NFLDraftScout: #217 player overall, #19 tackle. Sixth-round grade.
Nawrocki: #17 tackle. Not rated in top 150 players. Grade: 5.25, should make a roster and contribute on special teams. Fifth-sixth round.
Kiper: #262 player overall, #24 tackle, right behind a tackle from Notre Dame. Notre Dame College in Ohio.
Draft Countdown: #211 player overall, #19 tackle. Late-round / free agent grade.
Sports Illustrated: #174 player overall, #17 tackle.
Scouts Inc: #158 player overall, #16 tackle. Grade: 52, adequate prospect, fifth-round value.
Biography/Honors
2014: Honorable mention all-Big "10". Started all 13 games at right tackle.
2013: Appeared in all 13 games, playing right guard and left tackle, but without a start.
2012: Appeared in seven games on offense and special teams, with three starts at left guard.
2011: Appeared in four game with no starts.
2010: Redshirted.
Academics: Majored in leisure studies.
Twitter: @AndrewDonnal
Separated at birth from: Thor
Injuries
2012: Missed final five games after tearing MCL, PCL and meniscus in his left knee and breaking his tibia.
NFL Combine Stats
(Combine averages for tackles in parentheses)
40-yard dash: 5.31 (5.27)
10-yard split: 1.92
Vertical: 32" (29")
Broad: 8'6" (8'7")
3-cone: 7.84 (7.86)
Shuttle: 4.77 (4.70)
Bench: 17 (Average was 25. Rams drafted two of the three worst-benching tackles at the Combine in Donnal and Haverstein.)
Scouting Report
Pluses: Explosive, quick out of his stance. Technically sound. Active hands and gets his hands on defenders and steers and controls them. Light of foot and gets to second level and blocks LBs well. Adequate kick slide and ability to block edge rushers past the pocket. Has good recovery speed. Fighter who does whatever he can to get his guy blocked. Aggressive, plays with an edge and will drive defenders to the ground. Plays with solid enough base to anchor on the edge. Good pre-snap awareness, good at recognizing and picking up blitzes and stunts. Locates his assignments well and adjusts well on the fly. If he has no one to block, he finds somebody to hit instead of just standing around. Iowa program has produced a lot of successful offensive linemen. Versatile, could contribute at either of the guard or tackle positions.
Minuses: Limited starting experience. Lacks power. Needs to spend more time in the weight room. Limited lower-body strength and explosion. Like the rest of the Rams' offensive line class this year, tends to play too tall. Well, they're all tall. Does not drive defenders off the ball in the run game. Wins with explosion more than strength. Gets too wide with his hands at times. Average foot speed, struggles to adjust to moving targets. Slips off run blocks and ends up on the ground. Needs to play nasty more consistently.
Compares to: Erik Pears, possibly Kyle Turley and Thor
Fun Facts
Andrew was the center of his high school basketball team for three years and threw shot put and discus for the track team. When you look as much like Thor as he does, you should be throwing the hammer. Though born in Ohio and growing up Buckeye fans, Andrew went to Iowa and his brother Mark played basketball at Michigan.
RamView
The theme of the Rams' 2015 draft is big, tall offensive linemen who get the job done more with effort and technique than by sheer physical gifts. The guess here is that Donnal's going to be looked at as a swing man and wouldn't be expected to start any time soon. That makes him a, um, curious pick. The Rams passed on several center prospects I'd thought were easily better. As much as I appreciate gaining flexibility on the o-line, they could have found better players at many other positions here who would contribute more quickly. 2015's really morphing into a "huh" draft to me.
Sources: University of iowa athletics, NFL.com, Toledo Blade, Ramview (Mike Franke)