Prospect profile: Steve Avila, Offensive Lineman, TCU Horned Frogs
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TCU | C | #79 | rSr | 6034 | 332 | 5.21 | Arlington, TX | 10.16.99 (23.11)
Evaluation:
Viewed primarily as an interior prospect, Avila owns extraordinary height and length. In addition to great size, his natural upper body strength is extremely impressive. Opponents tend to struggle gaining leverage and often get stonewalled when attempting to bull-rush. Another area that stands out would be his quick feet, especially in short areas, as Avila is swift enough to mirror most defensive lineman. The frame, power and footwork are stellar traits that will make Avila a well sought after prospect. On the flipside, there is vast room for improvement in his overall game.
His fundamentals could use some cleaning up. There are too many times where Avila fails to find work and looks lost. He struggles to identify stunts and twists, often times late to react. Avila is so top heavy that he tends to struggle against players who have bend due to his high pad level; he simply can’t get low enough to stay in front of them. Overall, Avila is still raw and has a lot of work to do. He needs to retool his upper half, while keeping his play strength, which is his best trait. The Texas native has played at all three interior positions and opinions vary on where he fits best in the pros. If he
is going to stay at center, Avila will need to lose weight, which could result in a loss of power. There is some concern that he may not possess the processing ability to man the middle but he could be a really solid guard prospect. He’ll be scheme limited, with his limited movement skills but Avila is quick enough in a phone booth. There is upside with Avila but he has a lot of work to do to reach his potential, making him an early-to-mid round candidate.
Quotable: “He definitely helped me out a lot, definitely with confidence. Its something I struggled with in the beginning.
He told me to trust in my ability. Its not even that. It’s just how he teaches us to carry ourselves as men on and off the field. A lot of the stuff we do is hard, and he just tell us, you got to do what you got to do to get the job done. In terms of development on the field, he’s one of the greatest coaches I’ve had. He takes care of us. He does all the right things I feel like a coach can do.” – Steve Avila on the influence of new OL Coach AJ Ricker
PFF College @PFF_CollegeTCU Guard Steve Avila in pass protection last season: 🐸 540 Pass Block Snaps 🐸 Zero Sacks Allowed 🐸 83.6 Pass Block Grade 9:37 PM ∙ Mar 26, 2023
Background:
A TCU team captain and first Frogged Horns consensus All-American since wide receiver Josh Doctson
(2015). Participated in the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine; timed 1.86 in the ten-yard split, with 28 bench press reps,
29.5” vertical jump, 8-foot-2 broad jump, 4.74 short shuttle, 7.85 three-cone, nine-inch hands, 33-inch arms, 78-inch wingspan. A four-star recruit from Arlington High School. Repped by 1 of 1 Agency.
Ric on Steve Avila in 2022
One-Liners
Right now, Avila’s game needs a lot of work but he projects as a potential starting gap power guard at the next level.
Evaluation:
The first thing that stands out on Avila’s film is his size. He isn’t the tallest center but he has a huge upper body. His natural upper body strength is extremely impressive. Players struggle to bull rush Avila, as he is just too strong to move. For his size too, Avila has very quick feet. In short areas, Avila is explosive and quick enough to mirror defensive lineman. That level of natural play strength combined with quick feet is hard to find. With that being said, Avila has a lot of work to do. He is all over the place technically and plays very sluggishly. If he is going to stay at center, Avila will need to lose weight, which could result in a loss of power. There are too many times on film where Avila fails to find work and looks lost. He struggles to identify stunts and twists and tends to be late to react to them. In both the run and pass games, Avila can’t handle players who can bend. He’s so top heavy that he plays really high and he can’t get low enough to stay in front of them. Guys can get under Avila and shoot gaps without Avila disrupting them. On the move, Avila is too slow and doesn’t attach to defenders. He can’t sustain blocks because of his poor technique. Defenders are able to either disengage from Avila with ease or avoid him completely because he can’t get to them quickly. Overall, Avila is still raw and has a lot of work to do. He needs to retool his upper half, while keeping his play strength, which is his best trait. Avila doesn’t have the processing ability to stay at center but he could be a really solid guard prospect. He’ll be scheme limited, with his limited movement skills but Avila is quick enough in a phone booth. There is upside with Avila but he has a lot of work to do to reach his potential.
Grade:
5th Round
Background:
Steve Avila, coming into 2022, as one of the leaders of the offense. As a junior, he started at center in eleven games and saw a little action at right guard showing off his versatility on the offensive line. During that season, he earned First Team AP All-Big 12 and Second Team All-Big 12. Out of Arlington, Texas, Avila was a four-star recruit by ESPN and was the ninth-best offensive guard in Texas. Avila has incredible versatility, and it has shown, and it will be on full display in 2022 for TCU.
CAREER HONORS
- 2023 Senior Bowl
- 2022 Consensus All-American, NCAA
- 2022 First-Team All-American, Walter Camp
- 2022 First-Team All-American, FWAA
- 2022 First-Team All-American, AFCA
- 2022 First-Team All-American, Phil Steele
- 2022 First-Team All-Big 12
- 2022 Associated Press First-Team All-Big 12
- 2022 Honorable-Mention Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year
- 2022 Outland Trophy Semifinalist
- 2022 Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Semifinalist
- 2021 First-Team AP All-Big 12
- 2021 Second-Team All-Big 12
- 2020 Honorable-Mention All-Big 12
2022 | SENIOR
TCU's first consensus All-American since wide receiver Josh Doctson in 2015 ... Team Captain as he led the Horned Frogs to the College Football Playoff National Championship ... anchor of an offensive line that paved the way for one of the nation's most prolific attacks ... started all 15 games at left guard ... did not allow a sack for the second straight season ... led all TCU players on offense with 1,044 snaps played.
2021 | JUNIOR
Started at center in 11 games ... saw action at right guard against Texas ... rated by Pro Football Focus as the nation’s highest-graded center in week one at 87.2, allowing zero pressures on 25 pass blocking snaps with a run blocking grade of 84.8 against Duquesne ... Team Captain against Cal, Oklahoma and Baylor.
2020 | SOPHOMORE
Started all nine games he played ... made starts at three different positions (six at center, two at right tackle, one at right guard) ... the only Horned Frog to start at three different spots on the offensive line.
2019 | REDSHIRT FRESHMAN
Played in 11 games.
2018 | REDSHIRT
Redshirted in his first season on campus.
HIGH SCHOOL
Four-star recruit by ESPN ... ranked as the No. 9 offensive guard in Texas and No. 42 in the country ... rated the No. 136 overall player in Texas ... named District 8-6A Co-Offensive Sophomore Most Valuable Player in 2015 ... chose TCU over Kansas State and Utah.
QB | RB | FB | WR | TE | OT | OG | OC | DT | EDGE | LB | CB
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