Enrique Cruz Jr. Draft Grade | Round 5, Pick 39 | FanVerdicts

Bottom 20%Pick Grade

Pick Context

Market Value

Significant Reach

Position

OT · Premium Position

Decision Grade reflects market consensus at the moment of the pick. Teams often have private information the consensus does not.

Scouting Report

Big Board Rank: #217 · Day 3 Sleeper

Enrique Cruz Jr. emerged as a late bloomer at Kansas, transitioning from basketball to football as a junior college transfer and developing into a serviceable tackle option. His draft stock has risen steadily through the pre-draft process due to his impressive physical tools and rapid technical development under offensive line coach Pat Meyer. Cruz brings intriguing upside as a zone-blocking scheme fit with surprising mobility for his size, though he remains raw in pass protection concepts and hand placement fundamentals that limit his immediate impact potential.

Strengths

+Elite length and frame size create natural leverage advantages in run blocking, allowing him to establish wide blocking surfaces and seal rushing lanes effectively.

+Impressive athletic background translates to natural body control and balance recovery when knocked off his initial set, rarely going to ground on contact.

+Zone blocking scheme experience shows in his ability to work combination blocks and climb to second level linebackers with proper timing and footwork.

+Hand size and grip strength allow him to latch onto defenders and sustain blocks through the whistle, particularly effective in power gap concepts.

+Demonstrates good football IQ for identifying stunts and twists, showing ability to communicate protection adjustments at the line of scrimmage.

+Competitive motor and finish strength evident in his ability to drive defenders well past the play, showing professional work ethic and attention to detail.

+Versatility to play both tackle positions and emergency guard duty provides roster flexibility that late-round picks need to stick on 53-man rosters.

+Character traits include team captain leadership and zero off-field incidents, with coaches praising his preparation and meeting room presence consistently.

Weaknesses

-Pass protection fundamentals remain inconsistent with tendency to drop his hands too low and allow defenders to get under his pads, creating push-back issues.

-Footwork timing in pass sets needs refinement as he sometimes gets out over his toes early, compromising his anchor strength against power rushers.

-Hand placement accuracy is concerning against quick-twitch pass rushers who can slip his initial punch and gain inside leverage to his chest.

-Limited experience against elite-level competition raises questions about his ability to handle NFL-caliber speed rushers and complex blitz packages.

-Tends to over-extend on reach blocks in outside zone concepts, occasionally losing his man when defenders work back inside his frame.

-Mental processing speed needs improvement as he can be late recognizing defensive line games and picking up delayed blitzers in protection schemes.

NFL Comparison: Germain Ifedi

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