By Charlie Campbell
Weaknesses:
Summary: Over the past three seasons, Feeney was one of the most steady and effective offensive linemen in the Big Ten. He had a quality 2014 opening holes for Tevin Coleman, and in 2015, Feeney was even better at opening a lot of holes in the ground game for Jordan Howard while being a steady pass protector. For that season, Feeney was rated a First-Team All-American by some outlets and was an All-Big Ten First-Team selection.
Feeney’s senior season didn’t go as planned though. In Week 2 of 2016, he went down with a concussion against Ball State. Feeney missed a number of games before returning to the field. He was solid when he returned to the lineup, but injuries forced him to play out of position at right tackle. His performance there and at the Senior Bowl illustrated that Feeney is a guard only for the NFL.
As a pass blocker, Feeney has developed well for the interior. He is a patient blocker and has good technique with his hand placement along with the ability to punch defenders. Feeney could stand to get stronger in his base to help him hold his ground against the NFL’s heavy nose tackles.
In the ground game, Feeney gets to the spot, executes his blocks well, and is able to get the job done. He has strength at the point of attack to get movement from defenders and open holes for his back. Feeney has good lateral quickness and should be able to fit well in a zone-blocking system. He also is able to pull. While Feeney doesn’t have an overwhelming mean streak, he blocks hard through the whistle and is a scraper.
Feeney should be a second or third-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Player Comparison: Andy Levitre. Levitre is a technician offensive lineman who is a good fit in a zone-blocking scheme. Feeney could be similar as he lacks strength in his base, and that can be an issue for Levitre. Levitre was a second-round pick by Buffalo in the 2009 NFL Draft, and Feeney could go in the same range.
NFL Matches: Jacksonville, Indianapolis, Baltimore, Denver, Minnesota, Seattle and Los Angeles Chargers
Minnesota and Seattle fielded two of the worst offensive lines in the NFL last year. Both teams could target Feeney in the 2017 NFL Draft. The Vikings could hope to land him in the second round and have hosted him on a visit. Seattle could even consider Feeney if he gets to their second selection.
In the AFC South, the Jaguars need a left guard upgrade, and Feeney would help them to establish the physical running game Tom Coughlin wants. Feeney could be a candidate to fill the guard spot for Jacksonville with its high second-round pick. The Colts, meanwhile, need to continue to build up their offensive line to better protect Andrew Luck. Baltimore could consider adding more guard talent as well.
Denver needs a lot of help on its offensive line, and it would be surprising if the Broncos didn’t target some line help in the early rounds of the 2017 NFL Draft. Staying in the AFC West, the Chargers could uses guard upgrade to go next to Russell Okung.
RELATED LINKS:
2017 NFL Mock Draft: Charlie’s | Walt’s
2017 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings
2017 NFL Draft Scouting Reports
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