From now until the 2023 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, we’ll be profiling Oregon IOL Alex Forsyth.
#78 ALEX FORSYTH/IOL OREGON – 6037, 303 (R-SENIOR+)
Senior Bowl invite
NFL Combine
MEASURABLES
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Alex Forsyth | 6037/303 | 10 1/4″ | 32 3/4″ | 81 3/8″ |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 7′ 11″ | 20.5″ | 29 |
THE GOOD
— Quick first step after snapping the ball, one fluid motion from snap-to-step
— Good punch placement, keeping his hands inside defenders’ chest plate
— Able to reset his hands to re-leverage himself throughout a play
— Good lower-body quickness when asked to pull, gets to his intended spot without wasted movement
— Very good mental processing, communicates well with his line pre-snap
— Does a nice job staying square with solid body control and contact balance
— Solid recovery when his initial anchor falls apart
— Strong latch strength to stick on blocks longer
— High effort all the way to the whistle
THE BAD
— Awkward stance and alignment in relation to the ball pre-snap
— Undersized lower body lacking explosive power both on tape and in the workout numbers (20.5″ vert, 7’11” broad)
— His punches don’t pack enough punch to create displacement
— Overly reliant on perfect punch placement and timing
— Six false starts in 2022
— Injury concerns
BIO
— From West Linn, Oregon
— Four-star prospect from West Linn High School
— Chose Oregon over many other D1 offers to honor his father who tragically passed in a mall shooting when he was in middle school
— Redshirted as a freshman in 2017
— Utilized extra year of covid eligibility; 24 years old
— Played guard and tackle before settling at center for his final three seasons
— Allowed zero sacks in 2022
— FWAA All-America second team, Phil Steele All-Pac-12 first team, Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year finalist in 2022
— Played in 39 games, starting 28
— Missed four games in 2021 with back spasms and one game in 2022 with a shoulder injury
— Injured himself doing the vertical jump at the Combine; hamstring nagged him at his pro day as well
— Shoulder injury held him out of the Senior Bowl
— Team captain
TAPE BREAKDOWN
Lacking ideal size and explosiveness as an athlete, Forsyth’s game depends on technique and precision. One of his best traits is his snap-to-step initial quickness. In the first clip below you can see him snap and with one fluid motion propel himself forward to initiate a block on the defender. He gets there so early you start looking for the penalty flag. As the center he takes full advantage of knowing exactly when the snap is happening and getting an early advantage.
The first clip below shows one of his snaps and first steps against Georgia. The second play of the clip highlights an oddity in his stance. The ball is snapped so close to one of his legs as he pretty consistently goes for that uneven stance. It doesn’t seem to hinder him, but you wonder if he will occasionally bounce a snap off his leg. I have never seen anyone snap like this.
With such limited athleticism, you wonder is how he will fare against some of the top-flight athletes he is going to face in the NFL. This clip shows two plays against one of the consensus top talents in the draft in Georgia’s Jalen Carter. Forsyth handles Carter well on both plays. In the first one, he doesn’t stop his feet and is able to drive Carter to the ground when he attempts to swim over. Forsyth also does a nice job to block the arm-over with nice hand placement.
On the second play, he does get driven back by Carter as you would expect, but he is able to recover and ultimately drop anchor. His great inside hand placement and square hips are able to contain Carter’s bull rush and prevent him from countering off.
Forsyth’s quick movements off the snap translate to his ability to pull. He gets nice depth with his first step, which makes up for his overall lack of speed. He is able to adjust his angle on the go and lands the kickout block in both cases.
This final clip is the best single play I could find to sum up his game. He isn’t as big and certainly not as strong from the competition across from him, but he quickly gets out of his stance and fires his hands to latch onto the chest of the defender. He then rolls his hips and drives his legs, showing great understanding of leverage. He sustains the block and ultimately plants the defender on his back.
CONCLUSION
Forsyth has the hearts and smarts that are worthy of a day-three draft selection. His game is predicated on near-perfect technique. That won’t be enough at times in the NFL where Forsyth will almost always be the least athletic guy on the field. His lower body just isn’t thick enough, and he lacks explosiveness. The injury history and age will also be concerns that could push him down or even remove him from some teams’ boards. Still, he is a better football player than he is an athlete, and by all accounts was a great leader in the Oregon locker room. He didn’t allow a sack in 2022 and held his own against the likes of Jalen Carter and the Georgia Bulldogs. If the Steelers miss out on a center early in the draft, they could look to add solid depth late in Forsyth.
Projection: Middle-Late Day Three
Depot Draft Grade: 6.6MED – Backup/Special Teamer (5th Round)
Games Watched: at Georgia (2022), at Cal (2020), at USC (2020)
