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

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Calvin Throckmorton has the best offensive lineman name ever.

I mean seriously, how cool would it be to hear something to the effect of ‘entering the game is 6-foot-5, 317 offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton out of Oregon’? It’d probably mean bad news, as Throckmorton does not project as a starter right away in the NFL, but that name alone should strike fear in the hearts of unassuming defensive linemen.

What more could you want in a backup offensive lineman?

Throckmorton may ultimately (not) play out his career as an NFL backup, but his versatility alone should keep him gainfully employed for years and years to come.

Over his career at Oregon, Throckmorton played center, right guard, left tackle, and his native position, right tackle for the Ducks. Despite this position versatility – and variability – Throckmorton remained remarkably consistent as Oregon’s offensive anchor, allowing only one sack, four hits, and 26 hurries over his final 39 games with the team.

Had Throckmorton performed well at the combine, he’d likely be in the conversation for a Day 2 pick based on his experience and pedigree alone, but unfortunately, he recorded one of the all-time worst combines of any offensive tackle in recent memory.

Throckmorton did not finish in the top half of the 2020 offensive line class at any position across the board, with his 5.57 40 yard dash among the slowest marks of any player at the event.

Just for context, both Andre Dillard and Lane Johnson ran sub-5.0 40 yard dashes, so replacing either player with a sluggish backup with no plus traits may not be ideal.

A move inside to guard, or even center, could help to alleviate Throckmorton’s athletic deficiencies, but it’s anyone’s guess whether or not that role could stick full-time.

No, for my money, Throckmorton is an ideal replacement for Halapoulivaati Vaitai as the Eagles’ do-it-all backup offensive lineman who can start at multiple positions, and come into games as a sixth offensive lineman in power rushing sets. Throckmorton can actually play five positions, one more than Vaitai, so he provides even more value than the Detroit Lions‘ new $50 million man.

For my money, Throckmorton is a bit of a reach in the fourth round, a solid value in the fifth, and an absolute steal if he somehow sticks around to the sixth round.