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NFL Draft Profile: Kellen Diesch, Offensive Tackle, Arizona State Sun Devils

NFL Draft profile scouting report for Arizona State OT Kellen Diesch

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NFL Draft Profile: Kellen Diesch, Offensive Tackle, Arizona State Sun Devils
NFL Draft Profile: Kellen Diesch, Offensive Tackle, Arizona State Sun Devils /
Arizona State OT Kellen Diesch
arizona state sun devils

#74
Pos: OT
Ht: 6070
Wt: 301
Hand: 948
Arm: 3228
40: 4.89
3 Cone: 7.77
Bench: NA
Shuttle: 4.43
DOB: 08/23/
Hometown: Trophy Club, TX
High School: Byron Nelson

Kellen Diesch
Arizona State Sun Devils

One Liner:

An impressive mover with sufficient power, Kellen Diesch has starting potential in the NFL; to reach that ceiling, he must improve his pad level, clean up his angles and polish his hand technique.

Pros:

Arizona State’s 2021 offense was quietly home to several 2022 NFL Draft prospects. Kellen Diesch, the team’s left tackle, has starting potential in the NFL. The talented lineman boasts notable movement skills and lateral quickness. His flexible hips allow him to hinge and mirror inside or outside rushers. What’s more, Diesch exhibits a strong grip to sustain blocks. His respectable anchor is aided by proper hand placement and a wide base. He has the power to seal and consistently keep his balance through engagement. Diesch plays with proper weight distribution and knows to bend at the knees. He typically keeps his hands low and inside to gain leverage. He also has shown he can hand fight. Moreover, the Sun Devils’ standout maintains an active and wide base through his punches and once engaged. He has the hips to handle multiple opponents in one play. He closes distance against longer defenders with persistent leg drive. His movement skills and strong grip help him recover. In pass protection, Diesch is patient and avoids overextending. He mirrors well both before and after contact and is capable of washing defenders out of plays when necessary. In the run game, he gets to space as needed and can be tasked with pulling from the back side, lead blocking after a long pull, reaching and sealing. Diesch displays leg drive and sufficient-plus power to create room for the ballcarrier.

Cons:

In a tackle-rich draft class, opinions may vary in ranking some of the top players at the position. Diesch, a scheme-specific tackle-only prospect with 3228 arms, may not appeal to every team. His arm length is especially concerning, as long defenders regularly establish distance against and control the Arizona State standout. Further, Diesch tends to shoot his hands late or loop his punches without playing at extension which, in combination, gives up his chest. By allowing defenders into his frame, Diesch functionally worsens his anchor. The Sun Devils’ product also plays with a high pad level, further inviting opponents inside of his reach. He gets grabby too often. Moreover, Diesch’s feet are inconsistent before contact. After engagement, the talented tackle chases defenders instead of cutting them off. He aims his punches in a manner that allows opponents into half-man, a position in which he is unable to maintain blocks. Additionally, Diesch is thrown around by defenders once they are in his frame. His high pad level hurts his ability to move opponents and his core strength is inconsistent. His late-onset anchor may be less effective against NFL talent. In pass protection, Diesch struggles against speed. He has a slow first step and is late to flip his hips to mirror up the outside arc. In the run game, he fails to regularly break down into engagement. Diesch is slow to process stunts and delayed blitzers.

Summary:

The 2022 NFL Draft class has a wealth of talented options available at offensive tackle. Kellen Diesch is a scheme-specific tackle-only prospect that can start for a zone offense. He boasts impressive movement skills and sufficient power. That said, he must improve his pad level and become more consistent with his hands. His length and, more importantly, his inability to handle defenders’ length will hurt his draft stock. He projects as a backup with starting potential.

Background:

Born August 23rd in Trophy Club, Texas, Kellen Diesch was a standout two-way player for Byron Nelson High School. In his high school career, he earned All-Star accolades (2012), All-District Second-Team at defensive end (2014) and All-District First-Team at offensive tackle (2015). After an impressive career, Diesch received a four-star rating from 247Sports Composite Rankings. The same outlet named him the 105th-best recruit in the nation, the 11th-ranked tackle in his class and the 17th-overall prospect from Texas that year. Diesch started his career at Texas A&M. After redshirting his freshman season (2016), he made one appearance as a redshirt freshman in 2017. In 2018 and 2019, he was a depth player on the Aggies’ offensive line. He appeared in 21 total games in his last two years in College Station. After the 2019 year, he transferred to Arizona State. He was an immediate impact player for the Sun Devils. Before his first season with the team, he was a 2021 Athlon Sports Preseason All-Pac-12 Selection. That year, he was the 18th-highest-graded tackle among Power Five schools by Pro Football Focus (PFF). He was second in the Pac-12 and the highest-graded returning tackle in the conference. He received the 22nd-best pass blocking grade among Power Five tackles, again coming second in the Pac-12. He allowed just four pressures on the year, good for fourth-lowest among Power Five schools. Diesch helped lead the way for a rushing offense that was seventh nationally in yards per game and best in the Pac-12. In 2021, the athletic tackle started in every game for Arizona State and was the Pac-12’s highest-graded tackle according to Pro Football Focus. After the season, Diesch declared for the 2022 NFL Draft. He was invited to the East-West Shrine Bowl, where he measured in at 6067 and 299 pounds with 0938 hands, 3248 arms and a 7900 wingspan. He then went to the NFL Combine, where he measured in at 6071 and 301 pounds with 0948 hands and 3228 arms. He ran a 4.89 40-yard dash, a 7.77 3-cone and a 4.43 shuttle.

Grade:

Third Round

Quotes:

“I saw some stuff on Instagram, I’m getting tagged a bunch by friends and stuff about the 40 time. I think that turned a lot of heads, because that’s what I was doing. I was trying to go out to the Combine and show people how athletic I am, just back it up on tape, because I know there was some hype about me going in and I’m just glad I could put up the numbers and prove it.” -- Kellen Diesch at ASU pro day

Published
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