Dan Feeney, OG: An Early Answer For The Redskins At LG

Dan Feeney, OG
School: Indiana | Conference: BIG-10
College Experience: RS Senior | Age: 22
Height / Weight: 6-4 / 305 lbs
Projected Draft Status: 2nd Round
NFL Comparison: Clint Boling

College Statistics

N/A

Player Overview

Dan Feeney is a highly touted in this draft class and for good reason. The All-Big 10 guard started the past football season as the number one rated guard but has been forgotten to an extent due to the ascension of prospects like Forest Lamp, Taylor Moton, Dion Dawkins and Dorian Johnson. Make no mistake Feeney is still a top 3 guard in this draft. He helped pave the way for successful NFL running backs Tevin Coleman and Jordan Howard. Feeney plays with outstanding base and leverage at the guard position. He is tough and has the strength, attitude, and athleticism to finish defenders. He has arguably the best instincts and knowledge of the position in the class and he always seems to be ready for the defense and knows how to adjust. There isn’t much to critique regarding Feeney’s game. He’s an NFL level starting guard.

Strengths

• Was a starter all four years at Indiana, was a two-time team captian and has been praised for his leadership.
• Good athleticism for the position he is great at zone blocking and can pull and anchor. He will get into the second level and find a block.
• Is an experienced technician with very little to critique regarding his fundamentals. His hand placement is great, he plays with a good base, and light feet that allow him to redirect defenders, and slide quickly into position.
• Finisher with attitude and won't stop play until the whistle.

Weaknesses

• Occasionally goes upright after contact which leads to inconsistent pad level and leverage issues. You can see this when he played RT, in particular, this year.
• Injury history. A foot issue kept him out all of 2013. And he also had a concussion this year.
• Knee bend can be compromised against quick interior rushers. He can lock up and struggle to recover.

Let’s see his work:

How He Would Fit On The Redskins

Feeney would likely be able to start immediately if he were selected by the Redskins. Feeney exclusively played the right guard position at Indiana but his skills project well to switch sides. Feeney has a few traits the current left guards on the Redskins lack. He has the athletic ability to get out and create lanes for his running back. He also can climb to the second level with consistency. He also is proficient in pass protection and rarely gets pushed back into the QBs lap. All of Feeney’s weaknesses are coachable (except for the injuries) and I would love to see what Coach Callahan could do with a player like him. He is projected best as a zone blocker because of his lighter build and movement abilities.

Some would argue he doesn’t have a place in a power scheme like the Redskins run but I would beg to differ. If weight and strength are the issues Feeney has room to improve that and could probably do it during the offseason program. I would argue Feeney would fit nicely at the LG position because of the aforementioned qualities. The Redskins need a more athletic and technical player there. Picking guards is never really sexy but like Brandon Scherff, Feeney has the potential to be a solid, quiet, high-level player for years.