41. T/G Austin Barber, Florida (6-7, 318)
Consensus Rank: 126, Pro Comparison: Ezra Cleveland
Barber is a power-oriented blocker with a physical play demeanor and finishing ability. He latches on to defenders and plays through the whistle, steering blocks where he wants them to go to create movement in the run game. He can also win with quick sets in pass protection and use his hands to end reps quickly, but a lack of length (33.18″ arm) and rigid changes of direction limit his ability to pass protect. Barber might be too stiff and sawed-off to stick at tackle but could be a starting-caliber guard with tackle flex.
42. LB Aiden Fisher, Indiana (6-1, 232)
Consensus Rank: 173, Pro Comparison: Robert Spillane
The Indiana product is a traditional MIKE linebacker who was the primary on-field communicator for the national champs. He has good instincts and the ability to work laterally (scrape) across the line of scrimmage to play the run, anticipates and eludes blocks to find the football, and is a sound zone-dropper with a feel for route combinations, especially against play-action. Fisher might not be the biggest or fastest athlete, but he has a feel for the role and is a strong leader.
43. G Jeremiah Wright, Auburn (6-5, 331)
Consensus Rank: 164, Pro Comparison: Bobby Hart
As far as middle-round guards go, Wright is my favorite in this range. He plays with impressive raw power and a mauling play demeanor to move the line of scrimmage as a converted defensive lineman. There are plenty of pancakes on his tape, his double teams generate easy movement, and he has the body control to execute short pulls that jolt defenders on contact. Wright is shaky in pass protection at this stage, with questions about redirect quickness and foot speed to mirror pass rushers. But his functional strength gives him a solid foundation to project as a potential starter.
44. CB Hezekiah Masses, California (6-1, 179)
Consensus Rank: 136, Pro Comparison: Cordale Flott
Masses has some of the smoothest hips to flip-and-run out of his pedal of any mid-round cornerback prospect. His off-man and zone coverage tape is really good, and he has ball-hawking instincts to play the deep part of the field with good zone eyes to pass off and overlap on vertical routes to take away deep shots. In all, Masses had five interceptions and nine pass breakups last season. He needs more patience to keep his hips square to the line of scrimmage and improve his route anticipation in man coverage, but he’d fit well into the Patriots zone schemes and can be coached up on the nuances to improve in man coverage.
45. G Jalen Farmer, Kentucky (6-5, 312)
Consensus Rank: 136, Pro Comparison: Trai Turner
Farmer is another power-oriented guard who wins more with explosiveness off the ball to generate movement with a high-end athletic profile (9.84 RAS). He flashes the burst out of his stance to reach on the line of scrimmage and create movement into his drive blocks, while having heavy hands that create knock-back power and the movement skills to lead-block on pulls. Farmer is quick to transition into his anchor to create a firm pocket, but he has subpar recovery skills and change-of-direction talent to mirror twitchy interior rushers. Farmer and Wright are similar, but Farmer has a little more athleticism, while Wright’s raw power is superior.
46. LB Bryce Boettcher, Oregon (6-1, 233)
Consensus Rank: 127, Pro Comparison: Jack Kiser
The Oregon product is a two-sport athlete who chose to pursue a career in football rather than baseball. In football, Boettcher started as a safety before converting to inside linebacker. He still has some of that range in coverage and a quick downhill trigger to shoot gaps against the run. His movements are efficient and smooth as he scrapes laterally at the second level to find the football, and he flashes as an interior blitzer. Boettcher will be a 24-year-old rookie with some size and play recognition concerns, like getting baited out of passing lanes by play-action and losing contain against the run, but the athleticism and play demeanor are NFL-caliber.
