Vikings 2017 Draft Prospect Spotlight: Troy OT Antonio Garcia
By Jordan Reid
Can this small school offensive tackle help protect the blind side of Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford?
An early love amongst Draft Twitter, Troy offensive tackle Antonio Garcia’s stock has leveled off a bit. The reason for the talented tackle’s rise was many experts began to discover more of his film from the 2016 season.
What you see is a lean, but athletic build for an offensive tackle. Despite his official measurements of 6-foot-6, 293 pounds, Garcia has the body type to add 10 to 15 more pounds once he is consistently in an NFL weight training program.
On film, Garcia is one of the most athletic offensive lineman in this class. Considering this is a weak offensive tackle class, the former Troy standout has continued to shine. He struggled a bit in the Dollar General Bowl game against Ohio, but the traits of a developmental left tackle are there.
In the passing game, Garcia has a terrific pass set. He gets depth, and sets vertical, which is important when facing speed rushers. His long arms and powerful punch allow him to consistently stop defensive lineman in their tracks.
LT Antonio Garcia was a four-year starter at Troy. He only gave up 5.5 sacks in 43 career games. None during his entire senior season.
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) January 21, 2017
His feet, balance and quickness is what sets him apart from many other tackles in this class, as he is very light and bouncy.
Garcia’s biggest concern comes in the running game, strictly due to his lack of strength. On many occasions, you can see that Garcia gets pushed around if he is not able to get the natural leverage on defenders. This ultimately results in bad hand placement and him falling to the ground.
Lack of overall strength and improvement to his technique in the running game can be corrected with proper NFL coaching.