2023 NFL Draft prospect profile: Juice Scruggs, Offensive Line
Penn State doesn’t have a rich recent history of putting their offensive lineman into the NFL. While there have been a few that have been drafted and become impact players at the next level, NFL rosters aren’t littered with former Penn Staters like other programs in the country.
Donovan Smith was the left tackle for the Super Bowl winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021 and Connor McGovern signed a three year, $22.35 million contract with the Buffalo Bills this offseason.
Juice Scruggs is trying to be the next Penn State offensive lineman that finds a home in the NFL. He certainly doesn’t have the draft hype surrounding him like Smith or McGovern when coming out of school, but his versatility should land him on a professional roster. The ability to play multiple positions on the line is coveted due to the amount of injuries that can occur over the course of an 17 game schedule.
Here is a look at Juice Scruggs with updated measurables following the NFL combine and Penn State’s pro day.
Vitals
Hometown | Ashtabula, OH |
Projected Position | Center |
Height | 6′-3″ |
Weight | 301 lb |
Overview
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Juice Scruggs is an Ohio native but went to prep high school in Pennsylvania, playing for Cathedral Prep. He was a four-star recruit and the number eight ranked player in the state of Pennsylvania. Scruggs was a part of the highly touted 2018 class that was ranked sixth nationally according to 247Sports. Other notable recruits in that class were Micah Parsons, Odafe Oweh, PJ Mustipher, Jahan Dotson, Pat Freiermuth and Jesse Luketa.
Despite being a four-star recruit, Scruggs redshirted his true freshman season and was a practice squad player. In his redshirt freshman season, he didn’t see the field at all. It wasn’t until his third year at Penn State did he see the field. Scruggs was able to work his way from minimal playing time to a two year starter by the time he declared for the NFL draft.
Strengths
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The main strength that Juice Scruggs possesses is his ability to one on one block. He is dense and uses his strength to his advantage by squaring up defenders to stop them at the point of their attack. As a taller center prospect, he is able to drop his pad level to maintain leverage and move defenders out of the way.
His hand placement is another strength. Scruggs knows where to put his hands to utilize his leverage and slow down rushers. As a center, he was able to navigate multiple rushers at a time by keeping his head up.
Weaknesses
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The main weakness for Scruggs is his footwork. He has a hard time shifting his feet across the offensive line to seal blocks, which is worrisome for a center prospect. If he does get beat, he has a hard time recovering in the pass blocking game to slow down the rusher.
Another weakness is his lack of finishing blocks. There are times when he stops driving his legs to finish off the defender, which gives them a chance to recover in the play. That’s a major concern at the next level due to the increased talent he’ll be playing against on a weekly basis.
Best NFL player comparison
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It’s really hard to project fringe offensive line starters to current players in the NFL. There’s a chance Scruggs works his way into a starting role either at center or at guard. But there’s also a chance that Scruggs’ role on a team is to be a perennial backup who fills in for injured players.
With that said, there have been multiple players in the NFL who rotate across the different positions on the offensive line. For example, Cam Jurgens is supposed to replace Jason Kelce at center when Kelce eventually retires. Jurgens will fill in for Kelce at center if he gets hurt, but has also gotten playing time at guard when one of the Philadelphia Eagles’ guards gets injured during the game.
Where Scruggs sits among draft prospects
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As a center prospect, Juice Scruggs has ranged from as high as the fourth prospect in this year’s draft to eighth on some big boards. This isn’t a very strong center class and he’s not considered to be among the top guys in the draft.
However, there are rumors that he will certainly be selected on day three of the NFL draft. There are grades out there that project him to be a starter at some point in his NFL career. Because of that, he should certainly find a team willing to select him over the course of the draft. It really comes down to fit for Scruggs. His versatility helps him out in the process as well. He can play multiple positions which provides value to multiple organizations looking to add offensive line depth in this draft.
