Andre Dillard wasn’t highly recruited, but the redshirt senior is nonetheless considered one of the best prospects in the 2019 NFL Draft. To find out about his path to professional football, we spoke with a writer from CougCenter, SB Nation’s Washington State blog. Here’s what they had to say about their team’s former left tackle.
How was Dillard’s college career? Was there a memorable moment or did he leave a legacy of any kind?
Stellar. From the day he took over, he was an anchor on the line—which was totally wild, because he was a skinny, athletic kid when he signed. Something like 250 pounds. But he put on a ton of good weight and then was able to retain the athleticism and that’s how a low-three star kid at Washington State becomes a high first round pick in the NFL. There aren’t really moments or legacies for offensive linemen, but he’s a testament to what hard work and determination can do.
What are Dillard’s strengths?
Given the number of pass plays he blocked for over the past few seasons, that’s his obvious strength. He’s a wall.
What would you say are his weaknesses?
I don’t know if it’s a weakness necessarily, but there will be questions about his run blocking simply because he didn’t do it a whole lot. He never put his hand on the ground. But it’s not like this makes him as weird today as it would have 10 or even 5 years ago. How quickly he takes to the new things he’s asked to do will be key.
What sort of NFL team would Andre Dillard be a good fit for?
A team that is primarily pass oriented and not looking for a road grader at left tackle. He’s not a mauler—he’s a tactician.
Dillard is expected to be one of the picks in tonight’s first round, and given his positional value, he might just sneak into the top ten. Not a bad destination for that skinny, athletic, three-star recruit.