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ED WANG
6-5/314
Virginia Tech Senior
40: 5.18

PROS: Is a good athlete that has quick feet and can match up with speed. Moves fluidly in space and is quick to block on the second level. Has some pop off the snap and can lock on. Does a nice job on the backside cutback and is a capable cut blocker.
CONS: Needs to improve his footwork and technique. Tends to slide feet, which causes him to lose base and be susceptible to bull rush. Will give up the inside move and needs to do a better job adjusting in space. Needs to get stronger and not going to get much push as a drive blocker. Not as effective when working out of the three-point stance. Lacks mean streak and needs to do a better job finishing his blocks. Will whiff on some blocks on the second level and needs to take better angles to the ball.
OVERVIEW: Wang fits very well in a zone-blocking scheme. He's a former tight end which is where he gets his athleticism from. HIs sophomore year was plagued by injuries (broken leg), but started the final 8 games at right tackle. Moved to left side as a junior, where he started ever since.
NFL FORECAST: Wang can be a successful NFL starter playing in a scheme like Alex Gibbs. There he can be a good zone-blocker and be used as a cut blocker, which is his best skillset. He's athletic, but his footwork is fairly raw and he gets by because he's athletic. That won't cut it on the next level, and until he polishes that up he won't be able to compete as a starter. I think with coaching in a few years he'll be able to polish up his skills enough that he can be a fairly reliable and consistent starter. He won't be a star, but in the right scheme he can be an effective player on par with what Shaffer was here in Atlanta.
ATL FORECAST: Wang could be a nice backup in Atlanta because his athleticism will allow him to backup Baker. But he's not a guy that fits perfectly in the Falcons scheme, and despite his athleticism, doesn't have the skillset that would allow him to excel in Atlanta. He is a potential upgrade over any of the current options on the Falcons roster, but unlikely to contribute early in his Falcon career because he's fairly raw. If Baker were to get hurt in the next year or two, he wouldn't be the ideal option to replace him.
VALUE: For a team that runs a Gibbs-like scheme, Wang could be taken as high as the late third or fourth round. For most zone-blocking teams, however, he's probably a safer bet in the fifth or sixth round.

SKILLS
1-poor, 2-weak, 3-above average, 4-very good, 5-elite

STRENGTH: 3.0
PASS BLOCKING: 3.5
RUN BLOCKING: 3.0
FOOTWORK: 3.0
TECHNIQUE: 2.5
MOBILITY: 4.0
MEAN STREAK: 2.5

Pros: He is athletic with good foot speed to mirror speed rushers. He gets out of his stance well enough to get in position to down-block on DT’s or to wall-off his man to open a hole. Is good in space and is mobile enough to get outside for screens, and also does a good job of cut-blocking. Shows some pop with his initial punch in the run game and pass game. Has pretty good size and arm length for the position.

Cons: He is a good athlete but he has a lot of work to do on his technique. He has good foot speed but needs to work on his footwork in his kick slide and needs to make sure he keeps his feet moving when attempting to drive block. He also needs to get stronger to help improve as a drive-blocker. If he can get stronger, improve his hand usage and placement and drive his feet he could become an above-average run blocker for the LT position. Despite his foot speed he will open his hips too early, making him susceptible to an inside pass rush move. He needs to stay square to the line of scrimmage longer and then use his hands to slow the pass rusher if he attempts a speed rush. He can be bull-rushed into the QB because he doesn’t have a strong base because of a lack of core strength and poor footwork. He needs to sustain his blocks better, and with improved hand placement, usage and strength he could do so.

Overall: Wang presents an interesting value in the NFL Draft. He projects to the LT position as a back-up in the first few years which is a very valuable commodity in the NFL. Most back-up LT’s are just RT’s who have the ability to play LT in a pinch. But having a player who actually matches up with the speed they will face from defensive ends at LT in the event of their starter getting injured is a nice luxury to have. He is a couple of years of coaching and development away from being a quality back-up, but he has the ceiling of being a solid starter at LT and a quality back-up, which gives him significant value in the mid-rounds of the draft.

Projection: 4th round: He shouldn’t go much earlier than this unless he sneaks into the late 3rd round, but in this area a back-up LT, and a potentially quality one at that, would be a nice pick-up, especially for a ZBS team that likes mobile, agile offensive linemen.

SKILLS
1-poor, 2-weak, 3-above average, 4-very good, 5-elite

STRENGTH: 3.0
PASS BLOCKING: 3.5
RUN BLOCKING: 3.0
FOOTWORK: 3.0
TECHNIQUE: 2.0
MOBILITY: 3.5
MEAN STREAK: 2.5