If I have to hear about the short arms of Cody Mauch one more time, I’m going to drive my face through this hard wooden table that I’m sitting at, and I don’t think the old colonial ghosts in our AirBnB would like that very much. You know one way to negate such an issue? You move to guard. That’s what happened with Mauch at least in the first day of Senior Bowl practice, as he pretty well exclusively got reps at left guard, and boy, did he steal the show in doing so.
Mauch has a lean build, coming into the Senior Bowl at 6’4″ and 305 pounds. That sounds massive to normal folk, I know, but for an offensive lineman in the NFL, it’s a little on that lean side of things. But, Mauch played to his strengths in the first practice – and those strengths included a willingness to be coached up, athletic mobility, getting to the second level, seeking out blocks, playing sticky, and engaging in wrestling matches. I loved every minute of it.
During a drill that appeared to be designed to show off the guard’s ability to pull and hit on the run, Mauch showed a willingness to block with reckless abandon. I noticed the coach pull him aside and talk him up a bit. Afterwards, they ran the same drill again, Mauch got his pads a little lower, delivered a pop, and the coach was shouting “there ya go.” Mauch is athletically gifted enough to pull and get across the line quickly, but plays with enough pop to really generate drive off of that.
There was a rep in the OL vs DL drills on which he was beat because he just seemed to let go of his guy, but a few plays later, he won a rep by staying engaged, getting wide, and stonewalling his guy. He plays sticky at times – we just need to see that more consistently. Mauch plays with a nasty attitude in run blocking and getting to the second level of the defense.
I thought he did well in the 11 on 11s too by winning wrestling matches against defensive linemen…just those situations where your hands are up and you’re just trying to move one another around. He had a good helper block on a rep when he got low to pitch in and help out the left tackle and then moving on to the second level to clear out a linebacker.
I have to mention a play where he ended up on his back for Titans fans out there, because it had us thinking of Aaron Brewer. He was beaten badly on a bull rush from a defensive lineman that had him on the ground, which…of course…seems to happen to Brewer at least once per game. For comparison, Brewer is 6’1″ and 295. So, Mauch is heftier than Brewer – whew.
From a skill set and potential perspective, I have no real reservations about Mauch getting a shot to be the left guard of the future for a franchise. He should be rising up draft boards if he continues on the trajectory he set for himself with a good practice on Tuesday. Right now, the general consensus on Mauch seems to be somewhere around the 3rd round, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go in the 2nd round come this spring.
All Senior Bowl content is sponsored by Lyons Ford. They’re not your typical dealership! They will always give you every discount you qualify for, and give you you the most bang for your buck for your trade-in vehicle. You won’t regret doing business with them. Reach out to Zach on Twitter if you’re looking at getting a new or used vehicle.
In case you missed it, Zach Lyons of Stacking the Inbox, Football & Other F Words, and A Football Show on 440 Sports and I have made it down to Mobile, Alabama. We’re here to cover the 2023 Senior Bowl and all of the action that leads up to it. Catch our full recap of Day 1’s action on Football & Other F Words here.
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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