Nate Solder - OT - Colorado

[DaBruinz]

I was browsing through the Offensive Tackle prospects and I saw this kid.. He's 6'7-6'8, 315 and supposedly runs in the 4.8s. He's another in a line of TE to OT converts. Played so well that in his first year at OT, he became the starting LT for Colorado. He's supposedly been averaging over 5 knock-downs per game. He's ranked as a late 1st/early 2nd round pick right now without any Junior Tackles declaring..


I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has seen this kid play as I think adding him to Vollmer, Kaczur, Maneri, and LeVoir could make for an amazing tandem for years to come.

 

[VrabelMayeWin]

I haven't seen him play but he sticks out like a sore thumb as a "Scar type of OT". According to ProFW, he's raw and lacks explosion especially in the run game but is quick, athletic, can slide and play angles in pass protection.

It really depends on Light, IMO. If he re-signs then we are OK with the list you provided. But I wouldn't be shocked if Light left, Vollmer moved to his spot at LT and a guy like Solder came in at RT.

 

[DaBruinz]

I haven't seen him play but he sticks out like a sore thumb as a "Scar type of OT". According to ProFW, he's raw and lacks explosion especially in the run game but is quick, athletic, can slide and play angles in pass protection.

It really depends on Light, IMO. If he re-signs then we are OK with the list you provided. But I wouldn't be shocked if Light left, Vollmer moved to his spot at LT and a guy like Solder came in at RT.

Though Solder is raw, he's stepped into the LT position in the Spring of 2008 and has over 24 starts there.. As I said, he's averaging over 5 knockdowns a game, which is pretty significant considering how raw he is.. He could be one of those rare players who just "gets it" at a particular position.. Again, I don't know since I haven't seen him play..

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

He's not a first, though people projecting his future may see him there. I consider him a solid second round value who is indeed very raw, and he's crowding 6'9" from what little I know. His height does hamper his getting leverage in the run game. He struggled with some 6' and under speed rushers from Cal, but the negative reports that came out of that game were overblown. The one thing he does have is power at the point of attack, he could play LT, but he might be a better RT prospect.

If Mankins gets a Free Agent offer he can't refuse, I'd be inclined to re-sign Light for LG and grab this kid in the early second for LT. Arguably flipping Vollmer would make more sense individually, but for OL stability I think you leave him on the right and coach the new kid up. Speed rushers will give him a bit of trouble, but his long arms forgive a multitude of blocking sins, I've seen him blocking an inside move and reach out that left arm to stone a blitzing DB.

 

[Snake Eyes]

Many people from CO think he's very over-rated, I think part of the hype surrounding him is because of his height, the taller someone is the higher their center of gravity. Small guys will be very effective in bull-rushing them.

 

[patchick]

Solder definitely does leap out as a "Pats-style" prospect -- in another thread I described him as halfway between Vollmer and Maneri. If he's still around for the late 2nd pick, I'd be tempted. But in this OT-poor year, I think he's going to be seriously overdrafted.