Drake Nugent 2024 NFL Draft Profile
The Michigan Wolverines are sending a bunch of offensive linemen to the 2024 NFL Draft. That includes center Drake Nugent. Is Nugent a legit draft prospect or did Michigan prop up his stock? Let’s discuss this in Nugent’s 2024 NFL Draft Profile.
Nugent committed to Stanford as a three-star recruit in the class of 2019. With the Cardinals, he started 24 games at center. Nugent transferred to Michigan as a graduate where he earned the starting center job.
The evaluation of Nugent is unfortunate. A lot of strong technical skills are evident. Nugent gets out of his stance well, gets his hands in a good position, anchors in pass production, drives his feet as a run blocker, and uses angles to get to the second level. That is a lot of positives. The problem is that he is undersized and is not extremely athletic.
Nugent is six-foot-one, 298 pounds with 33-inch arms. That is below-average size for the center position. The lack of size is evident on film as well. It is far too common for Nugent to get himself in a good position off the snap before losing the rep because his opponent is bigger and stronger.
It does not help that Nugent is not a great mover. This is not an undersized player that wows you with athleticism. Nugent can struggle to move his feet to get to rushers who are aligned on his shoulder. Similarly, he can be beaten when opponents cross his face.
All of this works to create a grim outlook for Nugent. In college, his strength was being a physical run blocker. I do not imagine that will translate against NFL defensive linemen. That is a massive concern when he also has some athletic limitations.
It is clear that Nugent has spent a lot of time getting his technique in a great place, but it does not seem like he has the size to compete at the NFL level. It is unfortunate for him.
The size concerns and athletic limitations make it difficult to draft Nugent. At best, you could justify a late-sixth or seventh-round pick. I doubt he would be my first option in that portion of the dart, however. I’d be willing to bring him in as an undrafted free agent. I respect the technical work and he plays with a ton of effort. Those are signs that he will come into camp and fight for a roster spot. That is worth a call.
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