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By Charlie Campbell
Weaknesses:
Summary: LSU had a number of players come out of nowhere during its dream season to become prospects for the 2020 NFL Draft. The advance scouts for NFL teams did not include Cushenberry as draft-able on their preseason watch list, but he was a solid inside presence to help Joe Burrow dominate the nation in 2019. Cushenberry earned an invitation to the Senior Bowl, but had some struggles in Mobile.
As a pass blocker, Cushenberry is adept at tying up defenders when he is working with a guard. He can have issues with power in one-on-one situations and get pushed backward. Powerful bull rushes from top competition can move Cushenberry backward, but he does have strength in his base to sink his lower body and slow up rushes enough for his quarterback to get the ball out. Cushenberry can wall off some speed rushes, but too often his feet go still and he does not play the typewriter well to mirror. He could struggle in the NFL when he has to restart his feet. At least in the beginning of his career, Cushenberry could be a liability in one-on-one blocks against good defensive tackles. He was more effective when working with a guard.
Cushenberry showed advanced intelligence for making line calls and setting protections at the college level. While Burrow took over a lot of that, Cushenberry illustrated he has that ability for the next level.
In the ground game, Cushenberry contributes by getting to spots and hitting defenders. Cushenberry is not overly powerful at the point of attack to push defenders out of their gaps or knock them back off the line. He is quick to the second level and shows some mobility in the open field. Cushenberry works well hitting double teams with his guard and tying up defenders to open up holes.
WalterFootball.com surveyed a handful of teams about Cushenberry, and they had him as a mid-rounder, with Round 3 being the highest grade. However, Cushenberry has gotten media hype as a potential late first-rounder, so perhaps there are teams out there that value him higher.
Player Comparison: Matt Paradis. Cushenberry reminds me some of Paradis. Paradis (6-3, 300) is a similar size, and they both have decent quickness and agility but struggle with power. They face similar limitations for taking on NFL defensive linemen. In the NFL, I could see Cushenberry topping out as a similar caliber player to Paradis.
RELATED LINKS:
2020 NFL Mock Draft: Charlie’s | Walt’s
2020 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings
2020 NFL Draft Scouting Reports
NFL Picks - Sept. 7
2025 NFL Mock Draft - Sept. 4
Fantasy Football Rankings - Sept. 4
NFL Power Rankings - Aug. 28