Next up on our scouting report series is one of the most physically-imposing prospects in the entire class. Florida offensive lineman, O’Cyrus Torrence, is a mean and massive presence in the trenches.
He also happens to be one of the more experienced and productive players at his position.
Torrence initially began his career at Louisiana, where he started a total of 35 games, earning All-Conference honors in each of his last two seasons.
He then decided to challenge himself by leaving the Sun Belt to join the SEC as a member of the Florida Gators in 2022.
This drastic increase in the level of his competition hardly phased him at all. In fact, you could make a strong argument that he had his best season yet once he got to the SEC.
Torrence became a consensus All-American in 2022 after he started 11 games and didn’t allow a single sack all year long. To further put his dominance into perspective, over his entire college career, he didn’t allow a single sack over 1,501 pass-blocking snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
Unsurprisingly, the Titans are at least interested in getting to know the dominant lineman much better.
Anthony Richardson isn’t the only big attraction at today’s Florida pro day: All-America OL O’Cyrus Torrence had dinner last night with the #Titans plus meetings with #Rams, #Falcons and #Saints, per sources. Another Gator with a shot to go Round 1.
Full coverage today on NFL+
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 30, 2023
This article is going to provide an educated opinion on the pros and cons of taking a chance on Torrence.
Before we get started, a quick reminder that all of the grades and individual rankings that are included are my own opinions after spending the last few months studying each of these individuals.
Without further ado, let’s get right into Torrence’s scouting report.
Measurables
- Height: 6’5’’
- Weight: 330 pounds
- Hand size: 11 ¼’’
- Arm length: 33 7/8 ‘’
- 10-yard split: 1.84
- Relative Athletic Score: 6.06
College Accolades
- Consensus All-American (2022)
- First-Team All-SEC (2022)
- First-Team All-Sun Belt (2021)
- Second-Team All-Sun Belt (2020)
2022 Stats
- Pass-block snaps: 355
- Run-block Snaps: 343
- Hurries allowed: Eight
- Quarterback hits allowed: Zero
- Sacks allowed: Zero
Grades, Projections and Rankings
- Overall grade: 81.6 (first tound)
- Ceiling projection: Mid-first
- Floor projection: Mid-second
- Position rank: No. 2
- Consensus rank: No. 2
Reasons to Buy In
- Physical mauler who easily displaces defenders in the run game.
- Capable of stonewalling bull-rushes due to his wide build and natural lower body strength — hasn’t allowed a sack in over 1,082 pass-blocking snaps.
- Disciplined in the trenches, accounting for zero penalties throughout the 2022 season.
- Experienced and savvy lineman who is steady in all aspects of his game.
- At his best when he’s able to use his physical superiority to his advantage.
- Plays with the type of nastiness that sets the tone for the entire offense — plays through the echo of the whistle.
- Had the best year of his college career after he made the jump from the Sun-belt to the SEC, proving he can handle a sizeable jump in competition.
Areas of Concern
- Average-at-best lateral mover who can be exposed when quicker defenders attack his edge instead of trying to go through him.
- Must break his habit of sacrificing technique to attempt kill shots.
- Isn’t always quick enough to react to the defense’s manipulation tactics.
- Doesn’t have the athleticism to recover whenever he has a mental and/or technical mishap.
- Limited range in both pass protection and run-blocking.
- His pass sets can look very stiff at times.
- May not be the most scheme-versatile guard in the class and is probably better suited for gap-schemes that allow him to impose his will on others.
- Overly-aggressive mindset could lead to unnecessary penalties in the pros.
Fit with the Titans
If Torrence was a little more athletic, he would be the perfect lineman for a Mike Vrabel-led football team. The Florida product is a nasty run-blocking lineman who embraces the physical aspect of the game.
When Torrence is able to cleanly get his hands on the opposition, he can easily displace defenders at the point of attack, and he makes sure to block them until he hears the echo of the whistle.
Unfortunately, the All-American guard isn’t the most athletically-fluid lineman in the class. Therefore, he may not be best suited for a zone-blocking offense that is going to ask him to make blocks on the move.
Torrence would thrive in a gap-scheme offense that allows him to impose his will on the opposition.
As of late, the Titans have used a mixture of both to an extent, but more often than not, they usually prefer linemen who are capable of getting out in space and accomplishing reach blocks, cut-offs, washouts, etc.
This isn’t to say he can’t do those things. The former Ragin’ Cajuns lineman does have several examples on tape of him doing well when asked to perform zone concepts.
He’s just a lot more natural at physically manhandling the opposition as opposed to being a finesse blocker.
When it comes to pass protections, the perennial All-Conference lineman is as stout as you can be against physical pass-rushers.
Torrence plays with a wide base and strong lower body that allows him to anchor against damn near anybody that tries to go through him.
Defenders may have better luck with trying to go around him, but attempting to bull rush this mammoth lineman is going to be a losing battle nine times out of ten.
Should the Titans draft Torrence, you’d have to imagine that type of consistency is a large reason for their interest despite him not fitting the athletic profile they typically go for.
The Florida product would instantly fill the Titans’ hole at left guard upon his arrival.
I can’t say I would consider him at No. 11 overall, but he would be a dream come true at No. 41 overall if the Titans go wide receiver in round 1.
However, a more realistic target for him could be a trade-back scenario into the 20s. If the Titans do go that trade-back route and Torrence is still on the board when they pick, you’d have to imagine that he will garner serious consideration.
Check out more scouting reports from Shaun Calderon!
