Thursday, May 7, 2015

Chicago Bears 2015 Draft Breakdown: Hroniss Grasu

In the third round, the Bears looked to bolster their offensive line by getting a center. That center was Oregon's Hroniss Grasu. Just like in the second round, this was definitely a need pick, as the Bears parted ways with the aging Roberto Garza, so they needed somebody to snap the ball, or otherwise they would always get called for delay of game. Hopefully Grasu provides more than that, and to find out, I took a look at his game against Florida State to see what he brings to the table.

I would say that he moves very well for a center. He appears light on his feet when he is pulling and is pretty fluid in all of his movements. This helps when he is doing a combo block as he is able to help his teammate with a block before moving to the next level to take out a linebacker.

Strength looked like an issue as when Oregon was at the goal line against Florida State, he got stood up and driven backwards by Eddie Goldman (Good news is he will only be practicing against Goldman from here on). Also, he isn't a guy who was ever pancaking guys, even linebackers, but he stayed solid and maintained his block.

Admittedly, using sideline view to judge a center is not ideal. There's just a lot going on, they are rarely responsible for one-on-one assignments, and they can get blurred in the middle of the line. The All-22 is way more ideal, but using what is available, Grasu looks like an above average athlete who may only have average strength. He got pushed around at the goal line by Goldman, but most centers do struggle with the power of 350 pound nose tackles, so it's hard to ding the guy for that. He's a third round center; he's not going to excite you, but he has the ingredients to be solid. 

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