Zach Shackelford Report

	A	D	G	I	J	K	M	O
1		Zach Shackelford
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8							Grading Scale	Grade Assigned
9	Zach Shackelford	Age 22	Low/Medium/High: Braxston Cave (Low) - Andy Gallik (Medium) - Matt Paradis (High)				Hall of Fame Caliber	9.0 - 10
10	Center	6'3"					All-Pro	8.0 - 8.999
11	Texas	303 pounds	Side notes: Did not receive NFL Combine invite - measurements are from Shrine Bowl. 2018 first team All-Big 12. 2016 All-Big 12 honorable mention and freshman All-American. Father played guard at UCF.				Pro Bowler	7.0 - 7.999
12	Senior	Hands - 9 1/4" Arms - 31"					Quality NFL Starter	6.0 - 6.999
13							NFL Starter	5.0 - 5.999
14	Footwork and Angles (15 points): Can be turned off his angle too easily, especially when he's out in space or in uncomfortable spots. Adjusts his angles in a reasonable amount of time in combo blocks. Awareness helps with passing guys off on time. Not light enough on his feet to make tougher angles work. Keeps his base fairly wide in pass protection and it helps him to occupy space effectively. Not going to recover from any major mistakes, but he has enough control to overcome small lapses. Doesn't really do anything to take himself out of position from a technical standpoint. Upper and lower body are connected pretty well. Can keep run lanes propped open for reasonable amounts of time. Transitions from block to block in the run game with decent ease. Helped by working in close quarters with teammates to back him up.	Hand Placement (15 points): Can lose the initial engagement against twitchy pass-rushers, but his hands are usually on time and in the right place. Will work his way back into chest and readjust his hands if he loses control off the snap. Placement isn't always perfect but he has a good amount of control for a center. Unfazed by guys who have good play speed; stays composed even when he's facing a faster athlete. Timing and extension with his hands is helpful, but doesn't entirely make up for length limitations. Good as both as a brawler and as a technician. Hands seem to be more accurate and in control on his senior tape; took steps forward with his precision. Doesn't have the speed to simply outwork guys, but he can push a good pace with his hand usage. Loses a lot of his power at the end of his reach.	Anchor Strength (25 points): Thickly built guy with a barrel chest that can absorb most punches. Weight is proportioned incredibly well between his upper and lower halves. Thighs are like tree trunks. Has the strength to hold his ground against a push/pull and reverse it on the defender. Upper body strength jumps out immediately on tape as one of his best assets. Flashes of knee bend aren't consistent enough yet on his tape. Conference wasn't the strongest; level of competition could be a concern. Might lose a little bit of ground against bull-rushers off the snap, but has the strength and control to reanchor before the pocket is collapsed. Inability to control distance hurts him badly with resetting. Balance and body control are adequate but nothing to get excited about. Compactness will help with anchoring ability. Tested most by Utah.		Mobility (10 points): Has some impressive speed when he gets out into the open field and turns on the jets. May not be effective as a puller, and it should take a move to guard off the table. Wasn't able to effectively handle the athleticism of Neville Gallimore in the 2019 Oklahoma game. Extension with cut blocks is decent but nothing special. Unlikely to see much improvement as an athlete with further adjustments to his weight. Can be caught off guard by A gap blitzers, and needs to prepare better for them as a pro. Modest lateral agility does cause some issues, but it's nothing that he can't overcome. Not going to catch linebackers in space with any accuracy, but he can at least impact their path. Feet are a little too heavy when working in smaller spaces. A bit of a clunky athlete overall; doesn't mesh well for positional demands.		NFL Backup	4.0 - 4.999
15							Depth Player	3.0 - 3.999
16							Potential Practice Squad	2.0 - 2.999
17							Potential Camp Roster	1.0 - 1.999
18							Out of Football	0 - 0.999
19							** - Projected
20							Kent Lee Platte's RAS	Combine Scores
21							40-yard dash: 5.28 seconds**
22							Bench Press: N/A
23							Vertical Jump: N/A
24							Broad Jump: N/A
25							3-cone drill: N/A
26							20-yard shuttle: N/A
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28	Finishing (25 points): Drives his weight through blocks whenever possible and gets some nasty finishes as a result. Looks at home in a dog fight; doesn't mind turning engagements into wrestling matches. Has some decent finishing for a college lineman. Comfortable taking on opposing linemen without any help from his guards. Quick to switch into attack mode once he gets the opportunity. Plays through the whistle and doesn't back down from any defenders. Football intelligence jumps out a fair bit. Recognizes free play opportunities when defenders jump offsides and takes advantage of it. Power isn't anything special, but it should get the job done. Able to generate an average amount of movement in short yardage blocking situations. Lights opponents up when he gets free shots.	Relative Athletic Score (10 points): Grade used is a substitute due to an incomplete athletic testing profile. Scores of 5.62 (height), 6.90 (weight), and 5.15 (projected 40-yard dash) are totaled. Total of 17.67 is divided by three to get 5.89 as an average. Halved as a penalty for incompletion, which gets a score of 2.945. Rounded up to 2.95 for final score.	Footwork and Angles: 7 points	Hand Placement: 9 points		Anchor Strength: 15 points	College Statistics
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31			Mobility: 4 points	Finishing: 15 points		Character & Meds: -1 point
32						RAS Substitute: 2.95
33						RAS Substitute: 2.95
34		Character & Injury Concerns (10 points - DEDUCT ONLY): Team captain during his senior season. Sprained foot in 2019. Ankle injury and a concussion during 2017. Media interviews are very "coach speak" oriented. Keeps his answers simple and brief. Has a good time with his teammates and lets loose with them. Highly talked about by former Texas guard Patrick Vahe. "No quit in him."	Final Grade (Total /10): 5.195 - NFL Starter
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37			Final Ranking:	#94 overall prospect		C #5 of 10
38						C #5 of 10
39						4th Round Value
40						4th Round Value
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42	The Book on Shackelford	Games watched: Utah (2019), TCU (2019), LSU (2019), Oklahoma (2019), Oklahoma (2018) - Tape Review Date: 10/24/19, 2/19/20
43	The Book on Shackelford
44	A once junior olympic athlete who comes from a military family, Shackelford spent a lot of his childhood moving around. Originally from Ohio, he moved to Washington State at age 8, then moved to Germany as an 11-year old. His family finally settled in Texas as Zach began to enter his teenage years. It didn't take long for him to begin making a name for himself as a multi-sport athlete who excelled in football. He participated in discus and shot put as a freshman and sophomore at Belton High School, along with doing powerlifting during his junior year. Shackelford did not receive a high amount of buzz as a recruit despite being a two time all-state honoree. Initially committing to Kansas State, he had change of heart and decided to attend the University of Texas. It ended up being a great decision, as Shackelford started the season opener in his true freshman season with the Longhorns. After an impressive first year in Austin he was named a freshman all-American and an all-conference honorable mention. The hot start earned Shackelford a spot on the Rimington Trophy Watch List as a sophomore, but the 2017 campaign saw a slight downturn in effectiveness. The buzz was much weaker around him heading into his junior year, but Shackelford quickly righted the ship and put together a quality performance over the duration of the year. With 10 starts and a first team all-conference nod, Shackelford entered his senior year garnering top 100 buzz from the draft community, and he was considered to be one of the better senior center prospects coming into the 2020 Draft. His senior year had its ups and downs, and the peaks once again seemed to turn to valleys for the Longhorn center. He was unable to secure an invite to the Senior Bowl or NFL Combine, despite drawing a chance to play at the Shrine Bowl. The outbreak of the coronavirus would end up robbing Shackelford of a chance to compete at the Texas pro day, and could end up being a big factor for where he lands in the draft. He isn't the most polished or athletic player overall, but Shackelford's talents suggest he should end up being drafted somewhere in the middle portion of day three, and maybe even higher if a team falls in love with the intelligence and leadership qualities that he brings to the table. He brings the pedigree of a power five center with years of experience, and the game to match up with it. In a best case scenario, Shackelford would be drafted somewhere in the early portion of day three and get a shot to start for a team early in his career. In worst case scenario, he could end up dropping out of the draft entirely and get picked up for camp as a free agent. While it would be tougher to latch on through that route due to his lack of versatility, it might be the only way he ends up getting into the league. He should find a home somewhere in the NFL though.
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