Film Review: What 2022 Offensive Line Commit Lucas Taylor Brings to LSU Football
LSU landed its first 2022 offensive lineman with the addition of Lucas Taylor. The Alabama product will bring a smashmouth mentality to Baton Rouge.
The LSU football program picked up a commitment from one of Dixie’s biggest and best 2022 offensive lineman. He is a power player, but he’s also a good athlete. Let’s begin discussing the power first, and go from there.
Some players just have abnormal strength. Lucas Taylor of Mobile (Ala.) St. Paul’s Episcopal School fits that profile well. Even as a freshman football player for Ocean Springs (Miss.) High School, his power was evident.
He would overpower players with ease. A quick first step and two hands into the shoulder pads of an opposing defensive end often led to him moving that player five yards down the field. Even bigger now, Taylor slowly began to learn the nuances of offensive line play.
Strength alone does not make a good offensive lineman. Taylor and his 6-foot-4, 310-pound frame pack a punch, yes, but he will shock about anyone that watches him move in space. In fact, that’s arguably Taylor’s best attribute.
As Taylor’s film will display, he is happy to take on a player in a small-spaced area, or search for a block on the edge. Here’s a look at Taylor’s sophomore footage:
Taylor does a really good job of playing on the edge of the defense. Whether it’s a stretch play or screen pass, he quickly moves into position to make angle blocks. This means he already understands that just being a powerful lineman does not always mean being successful. That’s a good sign.
Offensive linemen generally take the longest to develop. Thus, Taylor already consistently showing he can angle off smaller defensive ends and linebackers provides insight into his football IQ, as well as his ability to accept coaching and hustle to the point of attack. Here’s the bonus, he’s only just beginning to touch on his potential.
What LSU fans should like most about Taylor centers around the word time. Taylor still has two seasons of high school football to play and become a better player. That awesome power and good feet in space will likely be aided by a few subtleties that need to be ironed out regarding technique.
Like the vast majority of offensive linemen, Taylor plays too high far too often. For now, he simply overmatches players at the high school level. Against Texas A&M, Florida, Auburn and Alabama, that’s not going to be a successful way of operating. There’s an area he can work on that issue and it will help Taylor improve his leverage.
Flexibility. He needs to redistribute his weight, over time, and that will help increase flexibility. Not to mention just literally working on flexibility through yoga and stretching. It’s a primary focus of many strength and conditioning programs now, especially for offensive and defensive linemen, to help prevent injuries and increase explosiveness. As for a position at the SEC level, that remains to be seen.
Taylor played left tackle last year. Depending on how well he works with his diet and strength and conditioning habits, Taylor could play tackle for LSU. Then there’s the opportunity to be a true power player along the interior of the Tigers’ offensive line. He’s certainly built like a Brahma bull, so being an interior offensive lineman does make sense.
Bottom line, it still goes back to time. After the conclusion of the 2020 high school football season, it will be interesting to revisit Taylor’s film. He’s talented, but far from a finished product.
During pass protection, how will Taylor’s kick step improve? What about his second-level recognition when attacking a middle linebacker after initially double teaming the three technique? Without going into a plethora of technical aspects, that’s really what Taylor needs to work on. Like NFL offensive linemen know, it’s a never-ending process for an offensive lineman to hone his craft.
Let’s reconvene in December and discuss Taylor’s attributes once again. Any true football fan should like this young man’s long-term potential, LSU fans included.
