Philadelphia Eagles: A draft guide to the Oregon Ducks’ offensive line

There is a very real possibility that Shane Lemieux could be a Day 1 starter at left guard when the NFL season opens up later this year.

Measuring in at a solid 6-foot-4, 316 pounds, Lemieux started 52 straight games for the Ducks at left guard and helped to shore up Justin Herbert’s blindside over their entire shared four-year career in Eugene as an (almost) every-down guard.

Fun fact: Lemieux played 3,535 of a possible 3,825 offensive snaps over his four-year career.

Lemieux is a big, physical presence on the interior, but not in your power rushing, Wisconsin-style mauler sort of way. Despite his size, Lemieux is light on his feet, a good puller, and relatively athletic for his size.

At the 2020 NFL Combine, Lemieux ran a 5.11 40 yard dash, a 1.83 10-yard split, and recorded a 107-inch broad jump, all of which were in the top half of participants across the offensive line. Lemieux also put up an ugly 4.9 20-yard shuffle, an 8.13 3-cone drill, and a 25.5-inch vertical jump, all of which are in the bottom 25 percent of offensive line participants.

But really, that’s the thing about Lemieux; you have to take the good with the bad.

For how polished he is as a run blocker, Lemieux has work to do against the pass, as he allowed eight sacks, four QB hits, and 25 hurries since the 2017 season. While his unimpressive change-of-direction skills are less noticeable at guard, he still has plays where opposing interior rushers can get past him and into the backfield.

Fortunately, the Eagles don’t need a Day 1 starter at left guard, at least not right away.

Whether the Eagles ultimately decide to kick Isaac Seumalo further inside to center when Jason Kelce eventually retires, or they simply want to add some competition to their weakest interior position, Lemieux’s upside is undoubtedly worth a Day 3 draft pick, and an early one at that.