Ronnie Stanley was a four-star recruit from Bishop Gorman HS in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was ranked 15th out of the offensive tackles and 176th overall in the 2012 HS class. He was recruited by Arkansas and Nebraska among others, but chose to play for Notre Dame instead. After Zack Martin entered the NFL Draft in 2014, Ronnie Stanley took over as starting left tackle for the Fighting Irish only allowing one sack in 13 starts. He debated entering the 2015 NFL Draft, but decided to stay in school for his senior year earning Consensus All-American honors. He enters the 2016 NFL Draft projected as a Top 15 pick.

Measureables

DOB March 18, 1994 Bench (225 lbs) DNP Height 6’6″ Vertical Jump 28.5″ Weight 312 lbs Broad Jump DNP Arms 35.625 in 20 Yard Shuttle 4.9 sec Hands 10.625 in 3 Cone Drill 8.03 sec 40 Yard Dash (10 yd split) 5.2 sec (1.79 sec) 60 Yard Shuttle DNP

Scouting Report

Quick sets pass rushers with ease on the line of scrimmage.

Patient pass blocker that waits for pass rusher and doesn’t extend after set.

Weak against speed/spin pass rushers. Results to reaching/missed initial punches.

Uses his hands to strike first punch in passing plays.

Needs to work on hip flexibility to sink hips more.

Pad height will be his biggest issue as he stands too tall losing leverage especially while drop stepping.

Smooth athlete in space

Frequently uses body/shoulder to initiate contact in run blocking.

Good at backside hinge and downblocks to seal the edge.

Keeps head up to block in pass situations, but drops it sometimes in run blocking.

Good exterior run blocker for backside hinge blocks and down blocks.

Gives too much ground against bull rushes. Needs to improve functional strength.

Good fit for zone blocking scheme.

Pass Blocking

Ronnie Stanley is at his best when he quick sets pass rushers at the line of scrimmage. He jumps quickly off the line of scrimmage raising his arms ready to strike. He places his hands on the defender controlling him from the start of the play. If the defender takes a wider path, he does a great job of mirroring pass rushers.

Note: Ronnie Stanley is Notre Dame’s left tackle wearing #78 for all the plays I will show.

While height is a plus, Stanley’s pad height typically rises too high after the snap which makes him lose leverage as he’s backpedaling. He needs to sink his hips and use his natural length to fight defenders, but if a defender gets inside his chest plate, he’ll lose after the snap.

Speed rushers that can press the edge gave him a lot of problems at Notre Dame. This was evidenced against Clemson with Ronnie Stanley’s match-up versus Shaq Lawson. The speed rush widened Stanley too far outside allowing for an inside move back to the quarterback.

To pair with the speed rush, the spin move didn’t allow Stanley to get a good jab on the defender and allowed the defender to get inside of Stanley’s outstretched arms.

Article continues on the next page looking at his run blocking abilities.