2021 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Alijah Vera-Tucker

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Alijah Vera-Tucker, 6-4/315 Offensive Tackle USC

Alijah Vera-Tucker Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:

Versatility to play guard or tackle

Good technique; ready to play quickly

Easy mover

Quick

Agile

Nimble on the edge

Quick feet

Gets depth in his drop to neutralize speed rushers

Can play the typewriter to cut off the corner

Bends at the knee

Doesn’t have to reach for rushers

Recoverability

Can anchor against bull rushes

Solid run blocker

Quick to the second level

Beats defenders to spots, walls off and gets in good position

Good scraper to tie up defenders and sustain blocks

Excellent fit in a zone-blocking scheme

Solid athlete

Athletic upside

Three year starter

Weaknesses:

Less-than-ideal length for a left tackle

Will long edge rushers give him problems?

Not a bull in the ground game

Could stand to get stronger for the NFL

Is his frame maxed out?

Not a great fit for a power man-blocking scheme

Summary: Vera-Tucker impressed team evaluators in 2020 as the replacement for left tackle Austin Jackson. The athletic Vera-Tucker played guard for USC in 2019, but he really jumped out with his skill set and ability to win at the point of attack. Vera-Tucker moved to left tackle for 2020 and put together an excellent season protecting quarterback Kedon Slovis. Vera-Tucker was one of the best offensive linemen in college football and showed excellent versatility.

There is a lot to like about Vera-Tucker for pass protection at the next level. He is an easy mover with athleticism, quickness and agility. Vera-Tucker can glide with speed rushers with ease, showing the ability to play the typewriter with his feet. He also is a natural knee bender who maintains good leverage while avoiding bending at the waist. When taking on bull rushes, Vera-Tucker is able to anchor and absorb the rush to keep them from pushing him into the quarterback.



In the ground game, Vera-Tucker is not a bull at the point of attack, but he is effective. He is more of a wall-off-and-position blocker who beats defenders to a spot to cover them up and keep them from making the tackle. He does a nice job of scrapping and keeping his hands fighting to sustain his blocks. It would help him to add strength if his frame isn’t maxed out. Vera-Tucker might fit best in a zone-blocking scheme at the next level.

Vera-Tucker could end up as a starting left tackle in the NFL and provide very steady blind-side protection. He could be an excellent guard as well, having Pro Bowl potential there. Vera-Tucker looks like a starting left tackle or guard early in his NFL career and is worthy of being a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. If teams view him as a starting left tackle, he could end up as a top-20 choice. If they view him as a guard, he might be more in the No. 20-32 range.



Player Comparison: Kelechi Osemele. Vera-Tucker reminds me of Osemele in some ways. Both are excellent guards qho have enough size and athleticism to play tackle. Osemele has been a very good pro, and I think Vera-Tucker could follow a similar path.

2021 NFL Draft Player Previews - Choose Player 2021 NFL Draft Player Previews - Home Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford Tutu Atwell, WR, Louisville Jhamon Ausbon, WR, Texas A&M Aaron Banks, G, Notre Dame Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama Carlos Basham, DE, Wake Forest Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri Baron Browning, LB, Ohio State Dyami Brown, WR, North Carolina Spencer Brown, OT, Northern Iowa Tyson Campbell, CB, Georgia Jackson Carman, OT, Clemson Ja'Marr Chase, WR, LSU Andre Cisco, S, Syracuse Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa Sam Cosmi, OT, Texas Jabril Cox, LB, LSU Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech Jamin Davis, LB, Kentucky Wyatt Davis, G, Ohio State Landon Dickerson, C, Alabama Liam Eichenberg, OT, Notre Dame D'Wayne Eskridge, WR, Western Michigan Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State Paris Ford, S, Pittsburgh Pat Freiermuth, TE, Penn State Kenny Gainwell, RB, Memphis Richie Grant, S, Central Florida Najee Harris, RB, Alabama Kylin Hill, RB, Mississippi State Trey Hill, C, Georgia Jevon Holland, S, Oregon Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina James Hudson, OT, Cincinnati Talanoa Hufanga, S, USC Creed Humphrey, C, Oklahoma Teven Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State Mac Jones, QB, Alabama Patrick Jones, DE, Pittsburgh Brevin Jordan, TE, Miami Kelvin Joseph, CB, Kentucky Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama Walker Little, OT, Stanford Hunter Long, TE, Boston College Terrace Marshall Jr., WR, LSU Jalen Mayfield, OT, Michigan Tre' McKitty, TE, Georgia Davis Mills, QB, Stanford Trevon Moehrig, S, TCU Elijah Molden, CB, Washington Kellen Mond, QB, Texas A&M Dan Moore Jr., OT, Texas A&M Elijah Moore, WR, Ole Miss Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama Israel Mukuamu, CB, South Carolina Jamie Newman, QB, Wake Forest Greg Newsome, CB, Northwestern Daviyon Nixon, DT, Iowa Dayo Odeyingbo, DE, Vanderbilt Osa Odighizuwa, DT, UCLA Azeez Ojulari, LB, Georgia Levi Onwuzurike, DT, Washington Joseph Ossai, LB, Texas Jayson Oweh, DE, Penn State Jeremiah Owusu-Koromoah, LB, Notre Dame Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State Kwity Paye, DE, Michigan Ronnie Perkins, OLB, Oklahoma Jaelan Phillips, DE, Miami Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida Dillon Radunz, OT, North Dakota Aaron Robinson, CB, Central Florida Quincy Roche, OLB, Miami Larry Rountree, RB, Missouri Gregory Rousseau, DE, Miami Asante Samuel Jr., CB, Florida State Trey Sermon, RB, Ohio State Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon Tyler Shelvin, DT, LSU Rashawn Slater, C, Northwestern DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama D'Ante Smith, OT, East Carolina Trey Smith, G, Tennessee Marquez Stevenson, WR, Houston Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, Oklahoma Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia Chazz Surratt, LB, North Carolina Sage Surratt, WR, Wake Forest Patrick Surtain, CB, Alabama Tamorrion Terry, WR, Florida State Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida Kyle Trask, QB, Florida Joe Tryon, DE, Washington Jay Tufele, DT, USC Payton Turner, DE, Houston T.J. Vasher, WR, Texas Tech Alijah Vera-Tucker, OT, USC Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama Tylan Wallace, WR, Oklahoma State Rashad Weaver, DE, Pittsburgh Javonte Williams, RB, North Carolina Rodarius Williams, CB, Oklahoma State Marvin Wilson, DT, Florida State Zach Wilson, QB, BYU

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