In the NFL, teams are always looking for quality offensive lineman, and in this year’s class, there seems to be a shortage on these higher end talents. However, one guy from the ACC has caught this analyst’s eye, both from his mountainous frame and excellent skill set: Ozzy Trapilo.
Ozzy’s football bloodline started early, with his father (Steve Trapilo, New Orleans Saints) having been an All American talent at Boston College before making his way to the NFL. Ozzy’s talent shined early on, as 247 sports had him as a highly rated 4 star recruit, as well as the 7th best offensive linemen in his class, before committing his talents to Boston College.
Ozzy started as a redshirt his first season, but his second year saw him play in 10 games, starting 2 of them. The highlights were 68 snaps vs Florida State as well as 66 snaps vs Virginia Tech that year as well.
His third season saw him miss two weeks due to injury, but started the remaining 10 games at left tackle, including being on the field for every single snap in 7 of these games. 5 of these 7 full snap games came in the last 5 weeks of the season, including 74 snaps vs North Carolina State and 77 snaps vs Syracuse.
His 4th season saw him receive an All-ACC second team selection, as he started all 12 games at right tackle. In 363 passing snaps, he did not allow one single sack, and played in over 720 offensive snaps this season as well.
He was part of an offensive line that powered for an average of 198.8 yards rushing per game, which was top 13 in the nation, including a 308 yard rushing performance vs Georgia Tech that year as well. Ozzy’s talent has been on display at multiple levels, but does the tape match the production we’ve seen? Let’s dive in and find out.
Player Info
Name: Ozzy Trapilo
Jersey: No. 70
Position: Offensive Tackle
School: Boston College
Class: Senior
Height: 6-foot-8
Weight: 309 lbs.
Ozzy Trapilo’s Strengths
Ozzy has a massive frame (6 foot 8, 309 lbs) and solid arm length as well, which allows him to have a large blocking radius on both sides and give edge rushers absolute nightmares versus him. He is a literal brick wall in pass protection, as his kick-slide techniques and mirroring skills are some amazing stuff.
This analyst found himself watching the pass protection over and over several times during this review.
He also has a set of heavy handed bear claws, with a vice grip like strength, meaning if Ozzy gets his hands on you, he will dictate where you go and what you do at each and every point of attack. He also has a very impressive lower body and anchor skills, meaning he can absorb contact and stronger edge rushers without being pushed backwards into his quarterback.
Ozzy also has some good positional versatility, having played both left and right tackle throughout his college career, and playing both at a high level. He also has shown a durability that is unmatched, having missed very few games in his career and logging multiple games where he played every snap, from bell to bell.
Ozzy Trapilo’s Weaknesses
One big knock on Ozzy is that he is a “waist bender” as an offensive lineman: meaning that he gives up unnecessary leverage due to his height because of this issue. He also has limited lateral agility, which could affect his skills in a zone blocking scheme where he is asked to move in space.
I’d also love to see Ozzy work on refining his hand placement, as some snaps could be holding calls at the next level based on this placement, as well as proper hand placement will allow Ozzy to maximize his strength and power usage in the run game.
Draft Projection
I currently have a Mid to Late 2nd round grade on Ozzy, and he is squarely in my top 75 players in this draft. With the shortage of good to great offensive lineman talent in this class, Ozzy is a breath of fresh air, as he has the skill set to play both left or right tackle for a team who is in need of some excellent pass protection.
Some teams I believe should be hammering the table for Ozzy in the NFL Draft:
- Chicago Bears (The Bears needs upfront are becoming increasingly alarming week by week, as Caleb is getting hammered with each and every game. Ozzy would be able to come in and play either tackle position, giving Chicago added versatility along their offensive lineman talent in.)
- Cleveland Browns (This one is a bit of a homer pick for me, being a browns fan and all. But Ozzy would be able to come in and lock down either the LT spot and move Dawand Jones back to right tackle or he can slide right in at RT and give the fans in the Dawg Pound two young tackles to grow around.)
- Washington Commanders (This pick would be made to give Jayden Daniels his cornerstone LT of the future and protect his blindside for years to come. In addition, it would also allow Washington just a little more time for Jayden in the pocket to find his open receivers, while also allowing Ozzy a chance to develop.
Any team that selects Ozzy will be getting an Iron Man at the tackle position, with flexibility to play at either tackle spot. I think Ozzy’s future should be at the LT position, as he has shown the ability to play it well, but in a worst case scenario, he would be an elite level right tackle as well.
Teams would be getting a mountain of a man, who can pass protect with some of the best in this class, and potentially some of the best in the league, as this analyst sees it. However, his run blocking and hand placement will need some added seasoning, which is why he isn’t a finished product yet.
But with a couple of years, Ozzy could develop into a top 10 tackle in the league.
My comparison for Ozzy Trapilo: Taylor Lewan, OT, Tennessee Titans
