Tommy Kraemer NFL Draft Overview
Position: Offensive Guard
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 309 lbs.
School: Notre Dame
Tommy Kraemer 2021 NFL Draft Profile
Notre Dame has produced several quality NFL offensive linemen over the past decade and Tommy Kraemer is the next four-year starter who has the potential to make a team’s roster. He is a viable option for a team that uses power-blocking alignments in their running game. Kraemer’s size and strength make him an ideal offensive lineman candidate.
Kraemer was one of the top high school offensive linemen recruits to ever come out of the Cincinnati, Ohio area. Some college recruiting services rated him as the third-best linemen in the country. Kraemer received offers from Ohio State, Boston College, Illinois, and Notre Dame. Before the start of his senior season, Kraemer selected the Fighting Irish as the college program to continue his football career. He went on to have an outstanding season and became the first linemen to win the State of Ohio Player of the Year award since 2006.
In his freshman season, Kraemer was redshirted by the Notre Dame coaching staff. Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly took notice of him during spring practice and named Kraemer the starting right tackle for the fall campaign. He earned a starting position alongside Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey as the unit was the recipient of the 2017 Joe Moore Award, which is awarded to the top offensive line in college football. In 2018, the Irish coaching staff moved Kraemer to the guard position. He went on to start 10 games for Notre Dame. The following season, he suffered a season-ending MCL sprain in his left knee during a Week 7 encounter. In 2020, Kraemer returned for his final season of college eligibility and led Notre Dame to a berth in the College Football Playoffs. For Kraemer’s effort, he was awarded third-team All-American and first-team All-ACC honors last season.
Strengths
- Strong upper body;
- Prototypical offensive linemen body frame;
- Active hands to neutralize defenders at the line of scrimmage;
- Excellent leg drive to maintain a block;
- Maintains contact off the snap of the ball;
- Experience at tackle and guard position.
Weaknesses
- Lacks quickness;
- Poor footwork;
- Injury-prone;
- Cannot sustain a block on an agile defender;
- Lazy technique on secondary blocks.
NFL Comparison: Ereck Flowers
Teams With Need at Position: Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, and Indianapolis Colts
Projection: Undrafted Free Agent
Bottom Line on Tommy Kraemer
Kraemer is a strong, versatile offensive lineman who can finish a block. But the lone drawback to his skill set is Kraemer’s footwork and ability to sustain a block upon impact. He has trouble neutralizing agile defenders off the line of scrimmage.
Despite having the size and skill technique to play in the NFL, his lack of quickness might keep Kraemer off a team’s roster. The best projection for him is to sign with an NFL franchise that implements a power blocking scheme that highlights Kraemer’s talents as an offensive lineman. Then, it is up to him to open the coach’s eyes during training camp and earn a backup position on the roster. With a bit more coaching, Kraemer could become a starter in the league.
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