One of the most fun aspects of every NFL Draft as a writer is scouting prospects and trying to identify those hidden gems….the diamonds in the rough, if you will…guys who might not be Day 1 or Day 2 picks, but sure as hell seem to have what it takes to make it in the NFL. Over the course of the next couple months, I’ll be highlighting some guys from this year’s draft class that I believe will be a steal for someone come April. Up next, we diving into the game of Troy offensive lineman Jake Andrews.
There’s something to be said for the scrappy guys that play with a lot of heart coming in and making your locker room better. To me, that is one of the shining traits of Andrews. He may not be the biggest or most powerful offensive lineman, but he plays with a lot of fight, and that’s going to push everyone around him to be better. I first noticed him at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, where he might not have looked so imposing standing along the likes of McClendon Curtis and Dawand Jones. But, watching him run the 1:1 drills, I noticed that he had a propensity for getting his hands on a guy and battling him. If Andrews was going down, you were going down with him. He was that shade of feisty.
People have their preconceived notions of the ‘Group of Five,’ but the Troy Trojans were a damn good football team in 2022. And, you don’t get invited to the Reese’s Senior Bowl if no one thinks you’re going to get drafted. There were times when he was beaten off the snap, and he just couldn’t recover quick enough to get his feet set. I saw him blown up a few times that week. But, it never did seem to get to him. He’d follow up a loss with a solid rep, showing a set of vise grips for hands, and a tendency to square up on his guy, keep his feet moving, and wrestle him just long enough for a play to develop. I was pretty impressed by it, and found that it showed up on tape too.
This play pretty well sums up what I like about Jake Andrews – hands, leverage, keeps those feet driving. He's a scrappy guy that is going to make an OL group more competitive. A note I jotted down at the Senior Bowl: "If he's going down, you're going down with him." pic.twitter.com/A7P1uI9xtq
— Stoney Keeley (@StoneyKeeley) April 5, 2023
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Pros
- Fight
- Clamp hands
- Experience
Cons
- Raw power
- Length
- Consistency
All in all, Andrews is a scrappy center with competitive upside who can push to be a “6th man” type along the interior of an offensive line. He was a solid starter for Troy, playing two seasons at right guard before making the move to center in 2022. So, he does offer positional versatility in that regard. He was voted All-Sun-Belt in 2022, and will bring a wealth of experience to the NFL in addition to his competitive spirit. He stands at 6’3″ and weighs 305 pounds. Both metrics are among the lower end of the interior offensive line group from the Scouting Combine. His 6.5 RAS is 4th worst among the class. It’s easy to look at the physical traits and the athleticism and desire more. But, Andrews makes up for it in technique and fire. He’s worth rolling the dice on with a late round pick.
Jake Andrews showed well in 1 on 1s at the Senior Bowl.
— Steph Sanchez (@Steph49K) March 6, 2023
Definitely going to need to watch some Troy games. He recommended watching games vs Ole Miss and App St. pic.twitter.com/C2F5MxB3UI
2023 NFL DRAFT HIDDEN GEMS
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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