Samuel Cosmi NFL Draft Overview
Position: Offensive Tackle
Height: 6’6”
Weight: 314 lbs.
School: University of Texas
Pro Day Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.85
Vertical jump: 30”
Broad jump: 10’
225 Lb. Bench Reps: 36
Samuel Cosmi 2021 NFL Draft Player Profile
After four seasons at Texas and turning heads at his pro day, Samuel Cosmi is among this year’s top offensive line prospects. Cosmi started 35 career games at Texas, primarily protecting the blindside of his quarterback at left tackle. Just a three-star recruit out of high school in Humble, Texas, Cosmi developed into a strong NFL talent during his time with the Longhorns. Interestingly, Cosmi grew up focused on soccer before playing fullback in high school, then eventually to tackle. While it is one of the deepest group of line talent in recent history, Cosmi represents one of the premium options in the bunch. It surprised some when the tackle opted to skip the 2019 NFL Draft to return to Texas, but more tape solidified his position. His first-team All-Big 12 honors further sweetened the deal.
In Cosmi, teams will like the tape that reveals the tackle to be a flexible fit for many offensive schemes. While he played tackle at Texas, his strength, speed, and physicality could easily translate to the guard position. His package of physical tools jumped off the page at his pro day. There, he ran a blazing 4.85-second 40-yard dash and stacked it with 36 bench press reps.
Cosmi’s combination of size, power, and speed is incredibly rare, especially for the frequently stone-footed offensive line position. Though he’s not a perfect prospect, the physical tools give offensive line coaches a lot of room to work. In Cosmi, teams could easily identify the player to be a day-one starter on their offensive line. He might need a little time developing the technique to play guard and his technique, in general, could use refinement. Regardless, his resume is strong and his physical tools should have many teams circling Cosmi in the draft.
Strengths
- Physical blocker who tends to knock defenders to the ground in both run and pass sets;
- Athletic capabilities allow him to move quickly, get to the second level in the run game;
- Hard to move for defensive linemen of any size;
- Doesn’t give an inch in pass protection, hardly ever lets a defender get free;
- Has the size to play anywhere on the offensive line;
Weaknesses
- Would be ideal to see him fire off the ball with more ferocity;
- Needs more technique work given his late-in-life start to football and offensive line play;
- Occasionally misses assignments in the run game in the second level;
- Still needs to add weight at the NFL level, gets pushed back a bit on bull rushes.
NFL Comparison: Jake Matthews
Teams With Need at Position: Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Chargers
Projection: Late-first to early-second round
Bottom Line on Samuel Cosmi
Projecting as a top-50 selection in the draft, there’s going to be a market for Samuel Cosmi early in the process. Given his ability to play on day one, he’s going to have plenty of ideal suitors. For an offensive line-needy contender at the end of the first round, they could view Cosmi as a get-rich-quick solution. For others, Cosmi’s flexible and still developing skill set could prove to be an enticing long-term project. Granted, there are still parts of his game that could use growth and development.
While he’s ultimately more of a fit at the right tackle than the left, it shouldn’t affect how teams view him in the grand scheme. The fact that he can play multiple positions in the line is rare and appealing. Further, his athletic ability jumps off the page and gives teams a lot of reason to believe in his ceiling. Though some may see Cosmi as more of a project than a product, most teams in the league need versatility from their lineman. Cosmi has a lot of traits that teams seek out in young players. Frankly, it would be very surprising if he slipped into the back-half of the second round. Even in a deep offensive line class, the 22-year-old Cosmi should be one of the earliest names off the board.
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