Miami (FL) Hurricanes

NFL coaches get thorny when it comes to former Miami OT Flowers

Published May. 28, 2015 11:33 a.m. ET

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The New York Giants think their No. 1 draft pick, former Miami Hurricanes offensive tackle Ereck Flowers, will blossom into a fixture on their offensive line for years to come, but that sentiment is not one that universally shared around the NFL.

Sports Illustrated’s Greg Bedard attended the NFL’s Coaches of Offensive Line (COOL) clinic in Cincinnati and the feedback on Flowers, the No. 9 overall selection in this year’s draft, was not flattering.

Here’s what Bedard wrote in his piece: I think the Giants are fooling themselves if they think the pectoral muscle injury suffered by left tackle Will Beatty, which reportedly could keep him out until at least October, won’t have huge ramifications. Beatty had developed himself into a very capable left tackle, and now the Giants are left with either Justin Pugh (who underwhelmed so much at right tackle he had been penciled in at guard ) or Ereck Flowers, the ninth overall pick out of Miami earlier this month. I recently spent the weekend at the Coaches of Offensive Line (COOL) Clinic in Cincinnati, and the reviews on Flowers were not good. “Some of the worst technique I’ve ever seen in a player drafted that high,” said one veteran NFL line coach. “He played for one of the best coaches, Art Kehoe, and his technique was terrible,” said another coach. “That tells me he doesn’t take coaching well. That’s a big problem because all of the recent tackles have struggled making the transition. It now takes them until Year 3. You can thank the spread and the [collective bargaining agreement] for that.”

In a phone interview with the Palm Beach Post a month ago, Kehoe said he felt Flowers addressed some of his fundamental issues and has a big upside.

“Everybody has to perfect their technique,” Kehoe said. “Sometimes he gets a little outside his hands in protection. We’ve addressed that a bunch. I know he’s worked on that a lot. When I saw him at pro timing day he had really worked on some footwork things and holding his hands tighter together, tight elbows and tight thumbs. You could see he had already addressed those things.

“He’s a tremendously talented and tough dude. Heck, each and every coach is different. Not radically different, but when it comes to pass protection, there’s a whole lot of methods being taught. With run blocking, there’s a bunch of different methods depending on your scheme. He’s smart enough and I think he’ll make adjustments and be able to do a good job.”

(h/t Palm Beach Post)