Everyone agrees that Penei Sewell is the OT1 in this class, but the spot behind him is well and truly up for grabs. One of the candidates for the position will be Texas left tackle Samuel Cosmi. With another good season he could become the first Longhorn lineman to go in the first round since 2002.
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Strengths
If you are looking for a top pass-protecting left tackle after Penei Sewell is gone, Cosmi will be your guy. He has plenty of experience as Sam Ehlinger’s blindside protector in a pass-heavy Longhorns offense. His numbers have been consistently impressive too. He is on course for three straight seasons of 80+ PFF pass-blocking grades and in 1,490 career pass-blocking snaps he has allowed just six sacks and 47 total pressures.
Cosmi’s biggest strong point is his athleticism and movement in space. You aren’t going to find many tackles with better lateral agility and short area quickness. He is super agile for an offensive tackle and has movement skills more like a tight end. You can see in the clip below that Texas even used him as a receiver on a screen pass for a touchdown. His hands and footwork are both great and he gets excellent depth out of his stance.
He has the ideal height and length to play the position in the NFL and has looked comfortable on both sides of the offensive line throughout his career. Whilst he is not a mauler in the running game he has been really effective at using his athleticism to move up to the second level and take defenders out of the play.
Weaknesses
Cosmi has shown a tonne of promise but he could do with refining the technical side of his game. He is a big guy and tends to play upright, resulting in him losing leverage to pass-rushers too often. His hand technique can be sloppy at times in pass-protection and his balance could definitely do with some improvement.
The other concern will be a lack of real play strength. Cosmi has been particularly susceptible to the bull-rush and can struggle against more physicaly edge rushers. A lack of a strong anchor will be even more of a concern when projecting to the NFL. At his current size he could do with adding some more bulk to his frame to improve his strength, but would not want this to come at the cost of his athleticism.
Bottom Line
Cosmi has shown time and time again that he is an excellent pass protector. Teams will covet his athleticism and if he can refine his game and add some more size he will be one of the most well-rounded prospects available. Right now I have Cosmi just ahead of Alex Leatherwood at OT2 on my draft board. If he continues the rest of the season in his current form he will keep that spot and should be a top 20 pick come draft day.
Big Board Rank: #17
Positional Rank: #2
