Nick Saldiveri Scouting Report and NFL Draft Profile

Nick Saldiveri Scouting Report: Old Dominion Monarchs, Offensive Lineman, #64

2023 NFL Draft Measurements

6’6 3/8″ / 321 lbs.

Wingspan – 81 3/8″

Arm Length – 33 3/8″

Hand Size – 10 3/8″

Nick Saldiveri 40 Time – 5.21

Nick Saldiveri Draft Profile

Saldiveri is a former 2-star prospect out of Parkwood High School in Monroe, North Carolina. In the 2018 recruiting class, 247sports had Saldiveri as the 76th-best prospect in North Carolina. Some notable players that he was ranked behind include KJ Henry, Alim McNeill, and Zamir White. Additionally, they had him ranked as the 199th-best offensive tackle in the nation. Even though he was only a 2-star prospect, I was shocked to see that he only had two Division I offers. These schools were Richmond and Old Dominion. After receiving his offer from Old Dominion, he decided that he wanted to continue his career as a Monarch.

Nick Saldiveri Strengths

Athleticism

Although I often put athleticism as a strength for NFL Draft prospects, I wanted to make sure to put it down for Saldiveri. For an offensive lineman of his size, he has incredible knee bend which allows him to stay balanced throughout his block. By doing so, he is keeping his pad level low and gaining leverage on his opponent. Although he displays amazing athleticism when lined up at guard and tackle, he is at his best when he has space on the outside. His lateral agility allows him to stay with speed rushers on the outside and force them to cut back inside. The one aspect of his athleticism that stood out to me the most was his ability to constantly keep his feet moving. From the time the ball is snapped, Saldiveri makes sure that he keeps his feet moving regardless of his leverage.

Pass Protection

When watching his film, the first thing that stood out to me was his consistency when in pass protection. As an offensive tackle, I was impressed with his ability to quickly get set after the snap. This is due to his lateral agility and kick speed to cover lots of ground if needed. Additionally, he does a good job of bending his knees and keeping his pad level low. By doing this, he is immediately gaining leverage on his opponent, allowing him to get in the right position to force them upward. This is also very helpful when he has to drop the anchor against the bull rush and hold his ground.

When facing speed rushers, he does a good job not letting them win on the outside. He does this by using his kick speed to stay with them when running the arc. Additionally, if he gets his hands in the right position, he uses his play strength to keep them centered on his body. If they do beat him around the outside, he has enough foot speed to chase them down and force them away from the pocket.

Mental Processing

Prior to the snap, he is very good at diagnosing the defense. Then when the ball is snapped, he shows off his how quickly he can react to plays by being able to effortlessly adjust to stunts. This is due to his overall athleticism, vision, and instincts. If he does not have a blocking assignment, he does a good job of keeping his head on a swivel. This allows him to pick up late blitzes or help teammates if they are getting beaten. In the run game, he has a good understanding of run lanes and is able to steer defenders and open up run lanes.

Gap Blocking

As I just mentioned above, Saldiveri is a good run blocker as well as pass protector. But more specifically, he does very well in gap blocking schemes. After the snap, he does a good job of delivering a strong punch at the point of attack. This knocks defenders off balance and can completely force them off their rhythm. Additionally, if he is able to get his hands in the right position, he does a great job of using his upper body strength to steer defenders. Although he does not have much experience in doing so, he is a solid pull blocker when moving across the line. This is due to his foot speed and lateral agility allowing him to be light on his feet. Finally, his knee bend and pad level allow him to be effective when drive blocking for short gains.

Nick Saldiveri Weaknesses

Hands

The biggest concern that I have about Saldiveri’s game is his hand usage. You may have noticed earlier that I would specify that he can steer defenders when he gets his hands in the right position. I made sure to specify that because he more often than not has his hands either too high or too far outside. Not only does this decrease the amount of leverage he can play with, but it can also make him susceptible to holding calls. When engaged in a block, he also needs to work on making his hands more active and hand fighting for leverage. Personally, the only reason why he is so low on my draft board is because of his marginal hand usage.

Finishing Blocks

Another weakness that I spotted was his lack of ability to finish blocks on both run and passing plays. When I watch film on offensive linemen, one of the first things I look for is their ability to block through the whistle. Unfortunately, I rarely saw Saldiveri do so. Instead, I often saw him try and simply push defenders away from the ball carrier instead of trying to control them. Additionally, when he is blocking in the 2nd level, he has a tendency to give up.

Nick Saldiveri Draft Stock

As of today, NFL Mock Draft Database has Saldiveri ranked as the 122nd overall prospect in the draft. This is good enough to earn him a 4th round grade. Personally, I would have to agree with this ranking because although he is a gifted pass protector, he needs to work on improving his hand usage to win matchups.

Final Thoughts on Nick Saldiveri Scouting Report

Overall, I think that although Saldiveri is a gifted athlete and pass protector, he still has lots of room to grow. He needs to work on improving the use of his hands so he can consistently win more matchups. Additionally, he needs to start blocking through the whistle and not giving up on a block. But, I still think he will be a valuable middle-round draft pick. This is the case because he can get the job done on both run and pass plays even if his technique is a little sloppy.

Nick Saldiveri Player Comparison

It was hard to find a player that he directly reminded me of. So instead, I went with someone that he shows me glimpses of, and that player is Nicholas Petit-Frere.

Nick Saldiveri Scouting Report and Player Profile Analyst – Matthew Lewis