2021 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Dillon Radunz

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Dillon Radunz, 6-4/301 Offensive Tackle North Dakota State

Dillon Radunz Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:

Fires out of his stance

Quick to the second level; straight-line quickness

Sustain blocks well in the ground game

Quality hand placement

Fights through the whistle

Scraps and fights to sustain blocks

Can shuffle his feet

Shows ability to bend at the knee

Reliable pass protector

Weaknesses:

Average athlete

Won’t be overpowering

Weight can get over his feet

Can lunge after defenders

Laterall stiffness

Lacks length

Lacks recoverability

Could be better off moving inside to guard

Practice habits have been questioned

Summary: North Dakota State has turned into a very reliable program for NFL talent, and Radunz will join quarterback Trey Lance as a pick in the top half of the 2021 NFL Draft. Radunz was a multi-year starter for the Bison, helping them to win National Championships and doing a good job of protecting Lance while opening holes in the ground game.

As a run blocker, Radunz fires out of his stance and quickly engages defenders. He leans into his blocks and does nice job of knocking defenders backward. Radunz sustains his blocks well and keeps his hands locked onto the edge rushers. Radunz won’t be an overpowering run blocker at the NFL level because he is not a true road grader. He does not have that kind of size and strength to overwhelm pro defensive linemen. Radunz, however, could be a decent run blocker as a pro who is not a weak link on the line.

As a pass blocker, Radunz shows quality hand placement and an ability to bend at the knee. When he sets up well, Radunz can shuffle his feet and keep edge rushers at bay, but he also will have some plays where he lunges and gets his weight over his toes, which is problematic for blocking NFL defenders. Radunz has some stiffness laterally, does not have great length, and his athletic ability is average. Hence, he does not recover well when speed rushers get a step on him.



Radunz might be a better fit at guard in the NFL given his body type. He has barely enough height for a typical left tackle, but his height, weight and length would be better suited to guard. Moving to left guard could maximize his ability for the next level.

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlen wrote that scouts questioned Radunz’s practice habits. That is an alarming weakness considering Radunz is coming from a small school and about to face a massive jump in talent with NFL competition. In the 2021 NFL Draft, Radunz looks like a second-day pick who probably won’t go higher than the second round and most likely won’t slip to Day 3.



Player Comparison: Joe Haeg. Radunz reminds me of another North Dakota State product in Haeg. Haeg (6-5, 298) is slightly taller and longer, but they are similar athletes. Haeg has been backup/fringe starter for the Colts and Buccaneers during his career. I think Radunz could be similar, although he would have a better shot at being a full-time starter and better pro if he plays left guard exclusively.

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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