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The Toledo Rockets had one of the most potent offenses in all of college football last season, and Storm Norton was a major component. The Toledo native comes into the 2017 draft as a potential pick. Our own mock draft, which was pretty much a best case scenario, has him going in the 7th round. When perusing the scouting sites, they are all saying he lacks the low center of gravity that would be needed to be an effective starter in the NFL.
This is from his profile on the NFL site, which does a really good job of giving an unbiased overview of players.
Weaknesses
Plays from a two-point stance in Toledo offense. Will have to learn to play from three-point stance and fire out of his stance with better bend. Steps are slow and stiff into his first contact. Hands are strong but placement is too wide. Opponents will land first and jolt him due to natural leverage deficiency because of his height. High-cut frame creates anchor imbalance. Below average redirect against inside counters.
Basically, the bad is that he lacks a low center of gravity, and played in a gimmicky offense in college. Throw in the fact that he played in a G5 conference, and certainly teams wont be tripping over themselves to select the guy.
That being said, I wouldn’t be shocked if he gets his name called, and possibly before the 7th round. He has decent feet, and has the length to be a solid pass protector. He has shown an ability to run block, too.
You can’t teach 6’8 and he is still just a kid. He might grow into that frame once on an NFL roster. He has the intangibles that make him a worthwhile project. Offensive lineman are some of the least risky players in the draft. While he might not project to a starting NFL left tackle, he most probably can play as a backup for years.
Best case scenario, he is a starting left tackle. If you can get one in the seventh round, even if it takes a few years, that is like stealing. That’s why I think you will hear Storm Norton’s name called on the last day of the draft.