Illinois has a lot to offer for an offensive line
(Eighth in a series)
An NFL team could get a good start on building an offensive line this year just by drafting players from Illinois.
Dan Feeney, who played on both sides of the line at Sandburg High School in Orland Park, is the consensus No. 2 guard in this year's draft after starting 46 games at Indiana. Feeney started 41 games at right guard and five at right tackle.
Lemont High School's Ethan Pocic is among the top two or three centers this year after starting 37 games at LSU, including 27 at center, nine at right guard and one at right tackle.
At downstate Oakwood High School, Cameron Lee holds that school's records for home runs and RBIs, and he was the seventh basketball player in history to score 1,000 or more points. He chose football at Illinois State and started all 25 games the past two seasons, 19 at right guard and 6 at right tackle, which may be his best position in the NFL.
Feeney allowed just 2 sacks in 3,355 career snaps at Indiana.
"Just trying to learn everything," Feeney said about his ongoing education as a pass-blocker. "You've got to get into the film room, you've got to get reps, you've got to walk through and visualize it."
Just as impressive were Feeney's contributions to the Hoosiers' recent tradition of producing top-notch running backs.
Last year Indiana's Devine Redding posted his second straight 1,000-yard season. In 2015, Bears running back Jordan Howard ran for 1,213 yards, 201 more than Redding had the same year. In 2014, Tevin Coleman rushed for 2,036 yards before he was drafted in the third round by the Atlanta Falcons.
"I just block the guys I'm supposed to block, and hopefully they hit the hole," Feeney said, downplaying his role. "Those three guys, they're amazing running backs; good dudes off the field and (they've) had amazing careers so far, Tevin and Jordan. It doesn't surprise me at all."
Showing he could play right tackle late last season should help Feeney at the next level, and he also took practice reps at center, just in case.
"I'm going to try to learn every position on the offensive line," Feeney said. "Just (having) versatility, that's the biggest thing. They only carry eight O-linemen (on game day), so being able to do everybody's job (helps)."
That philosophy also works for Pocic, who started 27 games at center, nine at right guard and one at right tackle. At 6-foot-6, he's tall for a center and could be leveraged by stouter, stronger interior defensive linemen, but he has the ideal height for a tackle.
Pocic's older brother Graham played center at Illinois, and his success served as motivation for Ethan.
"He set the bar high," the "little" brother said. "I always looked up to him. There were big expectations, and everyone wanted to see me live up to my brother. That's something I had to do in high school.
"I didn't want to be the kid that wasn't as good as his brother or is a disappointment because he's not as good."
Pocic also credits the entrenched football culture in Lemont and the strong work ethic that was expected in high school for starting him on the right path.
"That's why I only played football in high school, because I wanted to be the best football player I could be," he said. "We'd be working out eight or nine times a week sometimes.
"So, when I got to LSU, I already knew what hard work was. No one had to tell me to to do extra, no one had to tell me 'don't skip reps.'"
At Illinois State, Lee started as a lowly walk-on but kept getting better every year and, in 2016, he allowed just 1 sack.
"When you start out as a walk-on, you see the road ahead of you, and you know it's going to be a long road," the 6-foot-5, 312-pound Lee said at the NFL's Scouting Combine. "I stayed positive, I stayed confident in myself, I believed in myself, and I knew if I did the things I was told and made the most of my opportunities I could go far, and here we are."
Next up: Quarterbacks
Top 10 offensive linemen in 2017 draft
Pos., Name, School Ht. Wt. 40-time
T Cam Robinson, Alabama 6-6.2 322 5.08
Day One LT starter as true freshman. Prototypical LT size with very good power and movement skills.
T Ryan Ramczyk, Wisconsin 6-5.5 310 5.14
D-III transfer played just 1 year for Badgers but is technique sound and good enough athlete to stay at LT.
T Garret Boles, Utah 6-5.0 297 4.98
Still raw, though he'll be 25 as rookie. Nice blend of athleticism/attitude but questionable strength.
G Forrest Lamp, West. Kentucky 6-3.5 309 5.01
4-year LT starter is strong, tough and technique sound but projects to OG in NFL because of short arms (32 ¼).
G-C Dan Feeney, Indiana 6-3.7 305 5.24
Tough guy, 4-year starter with lunch-bucket mentality. Doesn't look great doing it but gets the job done.
C-G Pat Elflein, Ohio State 6-2.5 303 5.29
Leader by example, assignment sound and can play all 3 interior spots. Grit outweighs lack of athleticism.
G-T Dorian Johnson, Pittsburgh 6-4.7 300 5.29
Experienced, well-conditioned and assignment sound with excellent work ethic but is a limited athlete.
G-T Taylor Moton, West. Michigan 6-5.2 319 5.21
Thick road-grader has started at RT and RG. Big and strong but limited athlete who needs technique work.
T-G Dion Dawkins, Temple 6-3.7 314 5.11
Has more than enough size and brute strength inside and moves well enough in space to play RT; maybe even LT.
C Ethan Pocic, LSU 6-6.0 310 5.14
Athletic and smart enough to fill in almost anywhere on O-line but will need to get stronger vs. NFL DT's.
G Isaac Asiata, Utah 6-3.1 323 5.34
Massive, physical road-grader who dominates in run game but has struggled with technique in pass pro.
Under "Ht." the number following the period refers to eighths of an inch.
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