

It's that time of year again football fans. The time of year where we're so close to the NFL Draft that it's almost unbearable.

I've always loved the Draft, and usually I try to get a lot of work done throughout the year to prepare for the event. But as we get closer to the actual day, I like to do some in depth write ups as well. With a job and actual adult responsibilities, it has been tough to write up pieces such as this one, but I like to try to get at least one done a year. So without further ado, let's get to my selection for this draft season's film study.

Billy Price: Interior Offensive Line, Ohio State University

Height: 6'4 Weight: 312

There is no doubt that Billy Price is one of the more decorated Offensive Lineman in this draft. He's a two time All-American, and recipient of the 2017 Rimington Trophy, which is the award for the nation's best Center. He's also a two time team captain for the Buckeyes, as well as holding the Buckeye's record for most consecutive starts (55). This streak started his freshman year, where he started all 14 games for Ohio State that season.

When you consider the massive talent pipeline that is the Ohio State Buckeyes, the start streak is probably the most impressive accolade mentioned above. This kid walked into the building as a Freshman and earned a starting spot from day one. If that's an indicator of how his NFL career is going to go, then we're looking at one special player here.

Combine: Nothing to see here

At the 2018 NFL Combine, Billy Price suffered a partial tear of his pectoral muscle on the bench press, ending his week prematurely and not really allowing us to get any numbers on him.

With that being the case, it's vital that we watch Price's performance on the field to gather information about what type of player he's going to be, and where his strengths and weaknesses are at this point in his football career.

Offensive System: Inside/Outside Zone

The Offensive Coordinator duties this past season were split between Ryan Day and former Indiana Head Coach Kevin Wilson. The latter of the two is known for his high tempo, spread offenses that are designed to create mismatches and win numbers games. One of the best weapons for pulling that off in this system is the zone read, which relies on the QB being an extra runner that can hold backside defenders from crashing down on plays.

Above is a bread and butter example of a Zone Read in this offensive system. In particular, this is an Outside Zone Read. The difference between Outside & Inside Zone runs are important when we're discussing Offensive Lineman. While both Zone plays require mobile Offensive Lineman, Outside Zone asks the most of these plays, requiring them to get on their horse and go to reach the outside shoulder/armpit of their assignment. That's a lot of distance to travel for a 300+ pound person.

Let's break down the responsibilities of the play side Guard (PSG) and Center. The PSG is aiming for the outside shoulder of the Defensive Tackle, who is shown playing a 3 Technique in the above graphic. This requires the PSG to cover a large chunk of ground, and this usually requires pull step (90 degree step that turns the player's shoulders almost entirely horizontal) or at the very least a bucket step (45 degree step that involves less shoulder turning but still allows player to gain ground).

The Center is also aiming for the outside shoulder of the player that he'll be blocking, but that player is at the second level. If the play side Defensive Tackle is playing a 1 technique instead of a 3 technique as is shown, then the Center and PSG would be combo blocking that up to the Linebacker. But since the 3 tech is to the play side, that leaves the Center alone to go up and handle the Linebacker 1-1.

No matter which position you play here (and the point I'm making is Price can play both) it's a requirement that you have nimble feet and great movement to execute your blocks. Think about Aaron Donald and how explosive he plays. He's not just going to let you get to his outside shoulder and take him for a ride. You've got to earn that block.

It's important to note that while the "Read Option" part of the offense that Ohio State ran might not be applicable to wherever Price lands as a pro, the zone part most definitely will be. For example, 22% of Pat Shurmur's runs were Outside Zone plays, the most in the league. So if he goes to the OL needy Giants, his mobility will definitely be a big deal. Same goes for a Shanahan inside/outside zone scheme that has made stars out of average runners by recruiting highly mobile Offensive Lineman that can reach their blocks and create cutback lanes for their backs.

The Tape: A Jack of All Trades

The first play we're going to look at is an odd duck of a play. It's an Inside Zone Read, but there is a responsibility exchange between Price and the PSG (the RG on this particular play). Take a look and we'll go in depth afterwards.

Play One: Inside Zone Read (with a twist)

In a traditional inside read play, the entire line would be moving to the right in unison. Instead, we see a variation here called a "Pin and Pull". The Right Tackle kicks out the end, which is typical of an inside zone play. However the "Pin and Pull" part applies to the Right Guard and to the Center, Billy Price.

The Right Guard crashes down on the 1 Technique, drive blocking hard and trying to create as much space as possible so as to create a lane for the Center, Price, to pull through to take on the Linebacker. So now, instead of the Center taking the 1tech and the PSG giving a helping hand to the Center and trying to flow up to the LB to make a tough block, they've exchanged jobs and made the PSG's block much easier.

But for this to happen, the Center in this play must be mobile.

Look at Price's first step here. It's beautiful. He loses ground (moving backwards) to gain ground, pivoting his right foot out to forty-five degree angle and then exploding forward with his next step, taking hardly more than a second to go from the Center position to being behind the down-blocking Guard and on his way up to the second level.

Once Price is at the second level, the tape speaks for itself. He gets belly to belly with a player who should be more mobile and athletic, and has superb balance once he gets his hands on the Linebacker, not lunging and allowing the quicker player to sidestep his block. His hands target the armpits of the defender and land almost perfectly. He drives his legs and it's pretty much game over for the Linebacker as soon as Price gets hands on him.

Another small detail that I really appreciate is that Price knows the run will most likely be coming up behind him and to his left, so if you watch closely, Price gets his butt to the runner. Watch after he gets his hands on the Linebacker, he turns his entire body and pivots the defender out of the hole. That right there is one of those "little things" that you consistently hear coaches talking about when they talk about players doing the little things right. Price is a coaches player through and through, and it's the small details like that pivot that makes me think he'll be ready to go day one in the NFL.

Play Two: QB Power

You might be thinking that this looks an awful lot like the play above, but there are some pretty large differences. The first is that this isn't a read option play at all. Barrett is the runner all the way. Mike Weber, the Running Back, is the lead blocker here and it's designed for Barrett to tuck the ball and run.

That makes this a QB Power, which in turn makes this not a zone play at all, but a play that falls under the Gap/Man concept. Every player on the Offensive Line except for Price doubles up a Defensive Lineman here with the idea of executing a combo block, meaning that the two OL will initially double a Defensive Lineman until one takes over the block, allowing the other to slide up to the second level. This holds more true for the PSG & PST, both of whom crash down on DT #90 for Michigan before the Tackle moves up to the second level to block LB #9.

If the PSG and PST are going to combo block #90, that leaves the Defensive End unblocked. Enter Billy Price, who once again uses his mobility to get around to the DE and take him on. But once again, there's some more examples of Price doing those "little things" right.

If you watch Mike Weber, the RB for OSU, you can see where the play is designed to go. And that's outside of Price, making this a C Gap Power run. It's natural for an nonathletic Offensive Lineman to simply do the bare minimum and try to kick this Defensive End out. After all, they're having to travel to meet a more athletic player and a normal Guard or Center may have concerns about being able to get to where they need to go. But if you kick the Defensive End out and block him towards the sideline, then you are in turn blocking him into the C Gap, where the ball is supposed to go.

What Billy Price does here is called "logging his pull". What that means is that Billy Price has to get to the outside shoulder of his Defensive End, who is staying home and sitting right it the path of where the ball is going. This is no good, so Price "logs the block", gets to the outside shoulder of his defender, and pushes him back in towards the wash, away from the C Gap. For an Offensive Lineman to be able to execute this, especially one that has to worry about snapping the ball on top of getting out into space, this is a monumental task and really a block that only the best Interior Offensive Lineman can make. But Price makes it, getting that outside shoulder and pushing the Defensive End away from the C Gap, allowing Mike Weber to be the lead blocker that is able to get a piece of the Strong Safety who is flowing up to make the play.

This is a beautiful play, and it shows that Price is a versatile blocker that can fit in a power/man/gap scheme just as easily as an inside/outside zone system.

Play Three: Pass Protection

Moving on to the other side of the offensive coin, let's take a look at Billy Price in pass protection. In the clip above, Price is initially an assistance blocker, meant to help the LG with his assignment if there's no blitz or clutter in front of Price. However the DT slides slightly over to Price's side, and the LG recognizes that Price has such good positioning on the DT that he's going to slip off and go be an assistance blocker for the LT, allowing Price to take over the block completely.

The technique here for Price is perfect. Look at how his arms stay completely locked out, keeping the defender the maximum distance from his body. This completely neutralizes the bull rush and prevent the DT from collapsing the pocket and creating interior pressure. Price also stays balanced, showing off excellent footwork as he keeps his body mirrored in front of the defenders.

By the end of the play, Price has held his block for so long that Barrett is able to pull the ball and run off of Price's butt for a Touchdown. That's how locked on and superb Price's blocking was on this play. He even recognizes that Barrett is pulling the ball (almost an uncanny sixth sense going on here) and if you watch carefully Price begins to drive his legs towards the end of the play, converting his pass protection into a run block to assist his QB.

Play Four: Pass Protection Part II

Here's another quick example of Price's excellent pass protection. I won't go too in depth because I know this post is pretty long, and we've got a little more to talk about, but the mirroring skills and patience stuck out to me here, and I'm a sucker for coaches angles as well.

Play Five: Lunging

No prospect is perfect, and I'll be a firm believer in that for as long as I live. So now it's time to talk about one of Billy Price's very few bad habits, and that's lunging.

Yes this is a blitz, but I don't give out free passes, especially to guys I consider upper tier talent. It's also not the blitz that dooms Price on this play either. Price is a smart guy, he routinely made the OSU Offensive Line calls. If you watch closely, Price recognizes the blitz almost immediately. You can tell because he has his helmet up and passes off the Defensive Lineman in the first second of the clip.

So while Price sees the blitz and reacts appropriately, it's his actual technique while reacting that ends up being the glaring negative on this play. Price lunges at the blitzer instead of picking up his feet and placing them in front of the oncoming defender. It's that lunging that can get Price in trouble, and usually when Price loses a snap, it's because he stops using his picture perfect technique and goes for the kill shot by lunging instead.

It's a small weakness, and it doesn't rear its head all the time, however it's still present in his game. If anything, it's a mental weakness above all else. Price knows what to do and how to do it, the evidence of that is all over his tape. On rare occasions he won't do it though. Not because he lacks strength, or lacks mobility. He has both of those in spades. If he ever is able to iron out those small mental hiccups, and based on the type of guy he is and how hard he's worked in his four years at OSU I believe that's entirely possible, then he'll be as close to a perfect player as you can get.

Final Thoughts

Let's wrap up this lengthy post with just a few final thoughts.

For my money, Billy Price is the safest player in this draft. Yes, that includes the revered Quenton Nelson and the freakish Saquon Barkley. While Nelson would probably be most people's favorite for "highest floor" or "safest pick", I have to go with Price for one reason; his mobility. Nelson is a bit stiff in the hips, and while he's a monster in all other regards, that stiffness does limit Nelson when it comes to being an elite mover, which as we've seen in a necessity in a zone scheme. So while I have Nelson ranked as the better player due to his positive traits being so elite, I still see Price as the plug and play guy that can fit quite literally any offensive system that exists in football today.

There is so much to love with Price, and fortunately his pectoral injury was only partial, and he should be ready to go well before opening day. Without considering the injury, I don't hesitate to buy into Price as a Top 15 talent in this draft. Positional value traditionally knocks him down in the actual draft even without the pectoral tear, but if we're talking pure football ability, you're going to be hard pressed to find a lot of players that have the combination of skill and polish that Billy Price possesses.