Oregon football: NFL Draft Profile - OL Tyler Johnstone

Tyler Johnstone, AKA The Moose, looks to add to offensive line coach Steve Greatwood's list of pro offensive linemen. In recent years, the Ducks have had Kyle Long, Hroniss Grasu and Jake Fisher all selected in the NFL draft and Johnstone looks to add to that list.

Combine Results

Probably a little slower number on the 40 yard dash at the combine than Johnstone would have hoped for as he ran a 5.21 second time. The best performance from the combine though came in the 3-cone drill where his 7.31 second time placed him as a top performer. The lineman also was said to have had a solid pro day for Oregon.

Strengths

The one benefit of Johnstone’s injuries over the last two years was that he was able to add a substantial amount of muscle mass to his frame. Adding this muscle to his already 34" arm length provides Johnstone a great advantage over defensive linemen.

Johnstone also has the nasty streak in him that is desired in an offensive lineman. He plays hard to the whistle and often times breaks down field for multiple blocks. The toughness does him well against bullrushes as thanks to the added muscle mass, Johnstone greatly improved in this area last season. Another trait Johnstone has going his way is the ability to both right and left tackle. With NFL roster slots at a premium this is a big plus.

Weaknesses

The injury bug is Johnstone’s number one weakness. It started back in the Alamo Bowl of the 2013 season against Texas where the lineman tore his ACL. This was quickly followed up just mere months later as he tore the same ACL in spring practice.

Since that time, many experts feel that Johnstone lost the quickness and agility that set him apart in his first few years at Oregon. One NFL.com scout says that "in watching 2013 tape of Johnstone, he was much more athletic than the player I studied in 2015 after his knee injuries".

Comparison

NFL.com compares the lineman to Tyler Polumbus, the offensive tackle for the Denver Broncos.

Projection

Early on in the draft process many had Johnstone looking to land somewhere in the third through fifth round. However, it seems that as of late the injury concerns have crept up and dropped Johnstone in the draft. My guess is that Johnstone still goes in the 6^th round, to the San Francisco 49ers or Seattle Seahawks.