New York Giants Draft Prospect: IOL Jon Gaines II

Nick has another look at an interior offensive line prospect.

Jon Gaines II, IOL

Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 303 lbs.
Class: RS-Senior
School: UCLA

Combine Measurements

Arm length: 33 ⅝”
Hand size: 10 ⅛”
40-yard-dash: 5.01
10-yard-split: 1.73
Vertical jump: 32.5”
Broad jump: 9’6”
3-Cone drill: 7.31
20-yd shuttle: 4.45

A former three-star recruit out of Marquette University High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was the 152nd-ranked offensive tackle and the 12th-highest-graded Wisconsin prospect during the 2018 recruiting cycle.

Notables

An interior offensive lineman who played all 932 2022 snaps at right guard for the UCLA Bruins. He has 1,886 total snaps at right guard through five seasons of college football, but he also has 218 snaps at left guard, 184 at center, and 94 at right tackle. In 2022, he surrendered a pair of sacks and hits, 14 hurries, and 18 pressures.

He finished his college career surrendering five sacks and 52 pressures. His offensive line was selected as a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award in 2022, and he was an honorable mention All-Pac-12 player. Gaines tested as one of the best OL athletes at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. He had the best short shuttle for the position at the event; the short shuttle is typically predictive of NFL success.

Strengths

• Tested as an elite athlete - played as one, albeit he needs to work on his center of gravity and balance in pass protection
• Quick feet, loose hips, excellent explosiveness
• Generates force through his hips into contact - good play strength in the run game when the technique is adequate
• Very good overall run blocker with exceptional range
• Displays solid overall upper body strength upon contact
• Does well in combo situations
• Can reach the outside shoulder of nose tackles and swivel his hips around to seal
• Perfect for a zone-blocking scheme
• Excellent skip-pull (something Josh Ezeudu displayed a lot at UNC last year)
• Does a solid job framing his block and contacting defenders in space
• A very controlled player while on the move
• Good angles of pursuit up to the second level
• Adequate overall pass protector with a lot of upside (needs refinement)
• Great feet in pass protection
• Solid ability to perceive twists and react
• Recognizes blitzers and reacts well to eliminate the threat
• Technical issues in pass protection are coachable
• Has started at guard, center, and tackle

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Weaknesses

• Too frequently popped up out of his stance in pass protection
• Also allowed pad level to rise in pass protection gradually - leading to balance issues
• Typically has a solid anchor, but pad-level issues led too more grade conceded than necessary
• Technique in pass protection needs work
• Lunges too often with his punch; reactive pass rushers got around him
• His overall hand technique needs improvement/refinement
• Is an older prospect

Summary

Jon Gaines II is a very good run blocker who ideally fits in a zone-blocking scheme due to his overall body control and athletic ability while moving. Gaines II combines quick feet and excellent change of direction skills with agility and impressive mental processing to understand how to eliminate threats and maximize offensive success on any given play.

His elite combine will help him rise up draft boards, but he’s a better run blocker than a pass protector. Most of his issues in pass protection are correctable (punches & lunges, pops out of stance/high pad level, handling of counter moves, erratic initial punch, etc.). His baseline athletic traits and intelligence make it plausible that he could be a developmental player with the upside to start in the right scheme.

He’s not a bruiser, but not many offensive linemen can move like Gaines II, which - in terms of movement ability - reminds me a bit of Josh Ezeudu from last year’s draft, albeit Gaines II tested better than Ezeudu. Gaines II could be looking at a selection similar to Ezeudu, and he’ll be an ideal fit for a zone-oriented blocking scheme.

GRADE: 6.22 

Nick Falato

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