Emil Ekiyor Jr. Scouting Report: Emil Ekiyor Jr. NFL Draft Profile
Offensive Line, Alabama, # 55
Emil Ekiyor Jr. Measurements
6’3” / 324 lbs
40 time: 5.25
Emil Ekiyor Jr. NFL Draft Player Profile
Ekiyor is the son of Emil Ekiyor Sr. who played five seasons in the NFL. Coming out of Cathedral High School, Emil was rated a four-star recruit by all major recruiting sites. Ekiyor holds the distinction of being the first player from Cathedral to be selected for the US Army All-American game. He also participated in “The Opening”, a premier football experience for the best-of-the-best high school football players. Past participants include Odell Beckham Jr., Dalvin Cook, Andrew Luck, Ndamukong Suh, and both Pouncey brothers.
Emil would redshirt his true freshman season at Alabama in 2018. During this time he practiced at both guard and center. In 2019 he would see limited action in eight games. He would only play at guard during that time. Heading into the 2020 season, Ekiyor would earn the starting spot as the Crimson Tide’s right guard. He would start in all 13 of Alabama’s games, playing a total of 835 snaps. During that time he only committed one penalty, allowed eight hurries, two pressures, and 2.5 sacks.
Emil would return in 2021 as the starting right guard. Ekiyor would be tabbed to the preseason second-team All-American and second-team All-SEC teams. He would also be named to the Rotary Lombardi Award watchlist. At the time of this writing, Alabama is off to a 7-1 start and once again competing for a college football playoff spot. So far, Ekiyor has allowed 0.5 sacks, three pressures, and four quarterback hits.
Emil Ekiyor Jr. Strengths
Pulling
This may be Emil’s strongest overall quality. Even though he isn’t the quickest lineman out there, he’s still exceptionally good at pulling. From what I gathered, he was used the most out of the offensive lineman in terms of pulling. Around the right end, left end, or even pulling all the way over to the left for pass protection; Ekiyor can do it all. He does a good job of controlling himself while pulling. I noticed when Evan Neal would be out in space, he would be prone to missing blocks. He would be almost like a kid in a candy store, trying to shoulder check everyone. Emil was much more under control and would actually make successful blocks. He does a good job of getting himself into position to wall off defenders and open up holes.
Versatility
While all of his playing time has been at guard, it isn’t the only position that he’s been used at for Alabama. While redshirting in 2018, Emil spent the season working as both a guard and a center. It wasn’t until he earned the starting guard job in 2020 that he started to focus solely on that position. I believe that his skills are transferable over to the center position. So now, Ekiyor has some extra value that he can bring to a future NFL team. Although I do think it would help him develop even more to focus on just one position.
Emil Ekiyor Jr. Weaknesses
Questionable Play Strength
While a solid overall player, I do question Emil’s playing strength. It isn’t like he’s getting bullied by defensive lineman, but you don’t see him pushing anyone around either. This is most noticeable in short yardage situations. He just simply doesn’t get any movement out of the defender. I’ll just say this to finish; if I need a yard or two I’m not going to be calling for a power run that follows behind Ekiyor. Watching him get put on his butt by a smaller linebacker, while Emil had a full head a steam, didn’t help with that perception either.
Inconsistent
When watching Emil, there’s a good bit to like. But as you continue watching, he’ll make you want to pull your hair out. I understand that nobody is perfect. There’s going to be times where you just simply miss an assignment or someone gets through. With Ekiyor though, I feel like it’s just a lack of awareness. I’ve seen plays where he seems to be looking in the direction of a delayed blitz, but doesn’t slide his protection. Other times I’ve seen defenders showing blitz and at the snap they come, while Ekiyor turns his head to help the center. This is why I think that he should focus on one position primarily in the NFL. This way he can work on the finer points of playing guard (or potentially center).
Emil Ekiyor Jr. NFL Draft Stock
According to NFL Mock Draft Database, Emil entered the season as the 150th overall prospect for the 2022 NFL Draft. As the season progressed he rose in the rankings, eventually climbing as high as 97th. Over the last few weeks though, he’s seen his draft stock come back down close to his original position. Ekiyor is currently rated as the 145th best draft prospect. Most mock multi-round mock drafts have him going in the 4th or 5th round.
Final Thoughts on Emil Ekioyr Jr.
Emil Ekiyor Jr. is a solid player that I don’t think will have much trouble sticking with a team out of training camp. He’s going to give you good production and the fact that he can play multiple position is a plus as well. I feel that Ekiyor is at his best when pulling, and I believe that he could do it well from both the guard and center position. His position will come down to what the team views him as. Because of this, I think his best fit would be to go to a team that runs a zone blocking scheme.
At the end of the day, I view Emil Ekiyor Jr. the same as what the other mocks seem to have him as. That’s a fourth or fifth round draft pick. He’ll be a nice depth piece that has a chance to develop into a serviceable starter down the road.
Emil Ekiyor Jr. Pro Comparision: Gabe Jackson (RG, Seattle Seahawks)
Emil Ekiyor Jr. Scouting Report by Brandon Claburn
