Tyler Guyton scouting report: Exploring the Oklahoma OT's strengths and weaknesses

One of the top-1000 national recruits for TCU in 2020, Tyler Guyton redshirted his first year with the Horned Frogs, before seeing action as a backup tackle and some H-back in 10 games of his debut campaign.

Tyler Guyton decided to transfer in-conference to the Sooners ahead of the 2022 season, starting five of ten contests, one at left and the rest at right tackle.

Profile: 6-foot-8, 320 pounds; RS SR.

Breaking down Tyler Guyton's scouting report

Tyler Guyton: NFL Combine

Run-blocking:

• Good thickness and flexibility in his lower half
• Carries his hands tight to his chest and attaches them to the numbers of defenders in the run game
• Urgently cuts off the B-gap on the backside of laterally-oriented concepts
• Has some dominant reps on tape and consistently provides excellent leg-drive when his hands are connected
• Shows the short-area agility to overtake D-tackles engaged with the guard next to him on the backside of wide zone and allowing his teammate to peel off confidently
• Erases all space towards defenders lined up inside of him, getting a hand underneath their near-pad and creating space that way for pullers to open up a good lane on power concepts
• Gets up to the second level in a hurry and has the fluidity in his lower half to adjust on the fly and be able to wall off guys in the defensive backfield, as the picture changes post-snap
• Covers plenty of ground and engulfs linebackers trying to get downhill as he’s the one wrapping around from the backside of GT power

Pass-protection:

• His long arms are a major plus against edge-rushers trying to get around him with speed and being able to get the hands onto the near-pad of guys trying to dip underneath him, putting them on the turf occasionally
• Understands when he and his defender have reached the apex of the rush and he can dish out a meaningful shove, to get them past the point they want to go
• Regularly locks up rushers with his tight grip under their chest-plate, not allowing them to find escape paths
• Showcases impressive ability to recover in multiple ways as a pass-protector, when he’s caught off balance or generally in poor position in terms of the relationship between his upper and lower half
• Capable of kicking his feet back and widening his base to re-anchor after defenders were able to create that initial momentum to take him back towards the QB
• His eyes rapidly transition inside as he sees the end drop out, he quickly closes down space and is ready to greet interior rushers sliding/slanting his way with forceful hands, to keep the pocket clean
• At the same time, if the edge rusher crosses his face and there’s a linebacker or slot defender coming off the slot, he keeps a tight punch as he plants with the inside foot and the shuffles swiftly to pick up the blitzer
• Did allow two sacks in 2022, but no other QB hits across 191 pass-blocking plays according to PFF, along with zero sacks and 12 other pressures on 355 such snaps last season

Weaknesses:

• Doesn’t have the best contact balance, to swallow defenders striking at his frame in the run game and staying in control
• Needs to do a better job generally of centering blocks in the run and pass game, rather than constantly HAVING TO re-adjust his hand placement and base
• Has to work on his ability to come to balance and secure moving targets in space
• Tries to make up for getting too tall in protection by widening his base at times when rushers threaten more directly at him and then is susceptible to lateral movement, because he can’t redirect as effectively
• Presents a fairly soft outside shoulder and can surrender the corner when he has that near-arm swatted down

Tyler Guyton's 2024 NFL Draft projection

Tyler Guyton is a player whose draft profile will be characterized by how you each team grades the high-end reps vs. the lack of consistency in his game at this point. The upside is undeniable, whether it’s creating displacement near the point of attack or as a blocker on the move in the run game, paired with the way he can recover when caught in suboptimal positions as a pass-protector.

However, Tyler Guyton's hand-placement, establishing first meaningful contact in both phases of the game and being solid with his base are all still a work in progress. Plus, outside of the broad jump, his athletic testing wasn’t as freaky as many might’ve expected (70th percentile or worse across the board).

I believe Tyler Guyton has the potential of developing into an above-average starter, but it may take him a couple of years to get there and I could see some rough moments if he’s thrown onto the field early on.

So if you can afford him that time and be patient as a late-first round investment, to give yourself a fifth-year option, I’d be okay with that, but I personally see a clear cut-off from the top six names and slid in one more name, because I’m more comfortable with the pro-ready Jordan Morgan (Arizona) over the intrigue of Tyler Guyton.

Grade: Early second round