Packers Undrafted Rookie Scouting Report: Patrick Lewis, OC Texas A&M

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Player Information:

  • Patrick Lewis, OC Texas A&M
  • 6’1”/311 lbs
  • Hometown – Reserve, Louisiana

Pro Day:

  • 40 yard: 5.28
  • 20 yard: 3.04
  • 10 yard: 1.84
  • Bench: 25
  • Vertical: 29
  • Broad: 96”
  • Shuttle: 4.93
  • 3-cone: 8.01

Introduction:

The Packers are in desperate need of center depth; while it seems like the Packers are pretty content to go ahead with Evan Dietrich-Smith as their starting center, they haven’t signed him to a long term deal yet, meaning they still want to see a full year’s worth of play from EDS before fully committing to him.  Behind him isn’t much either, outside of Lewis,  1st year player Garth Gerhart is the only other center, although several other players such as Greg Van Roten might also be in the mix .

Outside Analysis:

TFY Draft Insider:  Short, squat small-area blocker who plays with tremendous quickness. Fires off the snap and works his hands throughout the play. Keeps his knees bent and shows the ability to adjust. Works well with linemates and effectively quarterbacks the offensive line. Displays a good understanding for the position, quick to the second level, and displays skill blocking in motion.

Video:

Analysis:

  • A little hesitant at the second level if there’s no one in front of him
  • Doesn’t have the quickest feet, seems to have limited flexibility as well
  • Has some issues with bulrushes, especially when pass blocking
  • Much better run blocker than pass blocker
  • Can definitely shotgun snap, can he snap the ball in a pro offense?
  • Pro day numbers are pretty underwhelming, especially the bench

 

Packers rationale:  Lewis strikes me as a prototypical camp body.  He won’t get a team killed if he’s forced into action, but it’s unlikely that he’ll ever be the preferred starter.  His physical limitations of poor foot speed and functional strength are likely to be exposed at the pro level to the point where his good technique can no longer compensate.  In particular, with many defenses employing a 3-4 defense with a mammoth 0-technique nose tackle, being able to stop a bull rush as a center is becoming more and more important.  Perhaps the biggest indication of his ability to stick on the team or practice squad will be his ability to play guard (especially considering offensive linemen rarely play on special teams); the Packers typically only keep one interior offensive linemen and while playing guard should be easier to play than center in the Packers offense, it isn’t exactly apples to oranges.

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Thomas Hobbes is a staff writer for Jersey Al’s AllGreenBayPackers.com.

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23 thoughts on “Packers Undrafted Rookie Scouting Report: Patrick Lewis, OC Texas A&M

  1. Good run blocker – goes downfield and hits defenders. I didn’t see his man make a tackle all day. Pass blocking ok. Got help from his guards and no sacks.

    However:

    1) Aggies had a QB. It was hard to focus on the center. Johnny Football is amazing.
    2) The rest of his O-Line may make him look better than he is.

    Even so: I say he makes the team unless he gets hurt. The Cornell 4th rounder is out for the season and he was projected as a guard. Pack will let a few O Line guys go from last year’s roster in my opinion.

    1. Watching offensive linemen is actually pretty tough for the average fan; everyone is trained to watch the football and even scouts admit that often times they end up watching the play instead of the player. My personal feeling is that Lewis is too slow to do well in the Packers offensive line, although with as much vertical passing concepts as the Packers have been using with Rodgers there might be a shift from a zone scheme to a more man scheme, which requires stronger more stout players. Perhaps the biggest knock on him is that he’s a center, which means he’s devalued in the Packers eyes. I think they’d rather take a tackle and convert him rather than taking a true center.

  2. I will never understand why Ted Thompson seemingly doesn’t think certain positions are very important. That is, until problems at the position fester for years and then TT overreacts. Running back is a good example. For 3 seasons we’ve had instability at the position and a “running back by committee.” Finally, TT determines that this position is a weakness and uses high draft choices to select not one, but two RBs who could be featured backs (although Eddie Lacy’s fused toe may soon end his pro career and is, in my opinion, a gamble). Center appears to be similar. Why Ben Jones wasn’t picked before the Texans got him in the 4th round of 2012’s draft beats me. Barring injury, the position would have been settled for years to come. Even in this year’s draft we could have had David Quessenberry instead of J.C. Tretter, who hasn’t played center. I imagine TT won’t do anything significant about the position until he loses EDS. Then, he’ll either sign another Jeff Saturday to fill the position short-term and/or use a high draft choice for one longer term. I have nothing against Patrick Lewis, but he certainly isn’t a long-term solution for the position.

    1. It’s part and parcel with the Thompson BPA approach. You could argue that Thompson shouldn’t have picked up either Nelson or Cobb since the Packers were stocked with wide receivers, but in hindsight both were great picks. I don’t think Thompson puts all that much weight into roster composition, he’s more than happy to have an unusual number of players in a position (see 3 fullbacks).
      As for Jones (I assume you are referring to Barrett Jones), had his own injury issues (which is why he didn’t do everything at his pro day) and if people are going to be critical of Lacy, then you also have be critical Jones playing with a “pro” offensive line as well.
      Finally, Quessenberry is a little tall for play center (stranger things have happened but still), and I think most teams were looking at him as a tackle.

      1. No, I was not referring to Barrett Jones. I understand the injury issue with him. Like Tretter, the Rams may have to wait a year for him. I was referring to Georgia Center Ben Jones, who was picked by the Texans in the 2012 draft to be the back-up center to Pro-Bowler Chris Myers but who became the starting left guard for them last season. He was the Texans’ rookie of the year last season.

        As for Quessenberry’s height. . . at 6′-5,” he’s one inch taller than Myers, Tretter and Barrett Jones. He’s a very flexible lineman, who could play tackle, guard or center. Perhaps he would not have been the long-term solution at center, but I believe he would make a better back-up for EDS or any other starting center than Lewis while still being able to fill-in at other positions.

        1. The back up center for EDS is TJ Lang. They can only dress 7 OL on game day, and the best non-starters will be Barclay and one of Sherrod, Bakhtiari or Datko. Any other OL who makes the team is strictly for depth and development, like Barclay and Van Roten last year. Don’t overthink where these guys fit this early in the season. Young may never be more than a practice squad or camp guy. Even if he makes the 53, he will be the #3 Center/Guard. He has a chance to be more *if he develops.*

          1. My feeling is that the real backup center will be the interior swing man (who ever that ends up as), since if you move Lang to center, who do you put at guard? I would like to think they learned their lesson with Daryn Colledge in 2010, but then again since the Packers consider linemen interchangeable, maybe they would swap two positions to shore up one deficiency.

        2. Fair enough I assumed you were referring to the last draft and not the one before. As for Quessenberry’s height, I will say that with Aaron Rodgers under center, the Packers starting center has not been taller than 6’2″ I believe.

  3. Who is “Young”? Didn’t you mean, “Lewis”?

    We are in deep trouble if EDS suffers an injury similar to Tretter’s. See http://cheeseheadtv.com/blog/cross-your-fingers-dietrich-smith-doesnt-get-hurt-dissecting-the-backup-center-plan in which Brian Carriveau states, “T.J. Lang has practiced from time to time as an emergency center, but his experience at the position consists of nothing more than a few practice snaps. Entering his fifth season in the NFL, it might be a little late to get Lang comfortable at the position.”

    1. I see… we need to fire Thompson and hire you. Your much better than he could ever be. Packers are soo stupid not hire someone w your knowledge and experience!

      1. As Brian Carriveau noted in his article the center position has been shaky for several years and, if EDS does get hurt, we are in trouble. So who’s responsible?

        By-the-way, since you apparently cannot be civil, henceforth, I, like Oppy before me, will no longer reply to any of your comments and would prefer it if you didn’t to mine.

        P.S. You incorrectly used the word, “your,” in your second sentence. Look-up the contraction for “you are.” It isn’t “your.”

        1. I forgot . . . you also misspelled, “so” when you ironically called the Packers “soo stupid.”

        2. The Center position hasn’t been shaky for several years! Wells was the starter less than 2 yrs ago and was a Pro Bowler. Saturday was brought in for his knowledge and experience and as soon as EDS became the starter he stabilized it immediately. If EDS gets injured the Van Roten will likely take over or Gerhart who was on the PS last year! Plenty of candidates. Losing Tretter changes little.

          Poor baby can’t take it when someone gets a little sarcastic when you act like you KNOW everything! I could care less what you do. Go away for all I care. In fact PLEASE go away!

          Take your your and shove it. Its a f’en blog and I could care little if I used the incorrect usage.

          SOO what you gonna do?!

  4. 2:20 The DT knocks this guy back like he was shot. One bad play doesn’t make him a bad player, but I’m not very confident in him

  5. Batavia Greg, thank you for correcting my brain cramp. Yes I meant to write Lewis.

    I’m comsidering Lang as the actual back up center because he was listed behind EDS on the depth chart for the past two seasons, and he has practiced there. If they find an ‘interior swing man’ who is good enough to take one of the 7 game day OL spots I would be a very happy fan, but the past few years the #6 and #7 guys have been Tackle/guards, not interior guys, because generally the T/G guys can cover 4 spots for you and the interior guys only 3 (what happens if two tackles get hurt?).

    If they moved Lang to cover for an injured EDS on game day, they probably would put in Barclay at RG, he played there last year before being asked to take over at RT. Longer term they might come up with something else, but again, that depends on how well Lewis (or Gerhart, or Taylor, or Van Roten) actually develop.

    They wouldn’t spend a 4th round pick on someone like Quessenberry (?sp?) if the best they could anticipate was being the #3 guy and not suiting up on game day. The realities of the came day 46-man roster are what devalues the interior O-Line positions for this team using this offense. Not both Sitton and Lang were T/G prospects when drafted. Not saying I agree, but thats what it seems to be.

    1. Ed: You have a very good point about the numbers for the O-line on game day. Tretter’s injury compounds the problem at center. There are other problems, though. Who knows whether Sherrod will ever come back or if Datko will be productive? I had hoped that the Pack would have gotten Terron Armstead and Quessenberry in this year’s draft. Armstead for left tackle and Quessenberry as a swing man C/G/T. Quessenberry fell to the Texans in the 6th round, by-the-way. We got Bakhtiari and Tretter instead. Don’t get me wrong, they are not bad picks. One or both of them may work out in the long run but for this season at least, let’s pray for EDS’s good health and well-being.

      1. Who knows if Armstead or Quessenberry will be productive? They would have been mid round picks like Bahktiari and Tretter. Were supposed to use 3 picks in OL, so you could complain about that like you did the RB? Wouldn’t that be over-kill?! You have no idea if Q or Armstead could play Center… NONE!

        Hell Datko probably would have been drafted in the 2nd/3rd if not for the shoulder. So it would appear he has more talent than Quessenberry. And Armstead, while a great athlete, is just that at this point. An athlete w/ VERY low competition level and a huge learning curve before he sees the field! Neither Q or Armstead was likely to contribute much this year. And Armstead is much more an OT, who certainly wouldn’t be a Center. Quessenberry is another Datko, except probably less talented.

  6. I’ve been trying to post with this new format, but not have had any luck yet. Will try again.

    I’m not too concerned about the backup center. They can still slide a number of the guards over to center. The thing that would worry me is the snap, but not much of anything else. Probably all the guards – starters or backups should be as good at center as EDS.

    In case this actually posts – can someone tell me how to reply to other posts? I don’t see that option anymore.

    1. Never mind. After originally being brought to a new green area, I appear to back to the old (Jersey Al classic) screens which include a reply button.

    2. For anyone having issues with the site; we just implemented a new mobile format, so please clear your cache and the regular site should return.

  7. On the video 2:20 that wasn’t even lewis…he was #61…the one with the hair…pay more attention b4 you write…

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