Penn State Offensive Lineman Juice Scruggs NFL Stock + Player Comparison
Penn State offensive lineman Juice Scruggs will be a player with a place on NFL rosters and practice squads as he will be a versatile backup offensive lineman with positional versatility at center and guard.
Scruggs was a reliable starter as he played more than 500 snaps in back-to-back seasons for the Nittany Lions.
Scruggs came into the combine 6’3 301 pounds. With above-average length (33 ¼) and 10-inch hands, these are traits that stand out immediately for him. He has a more slender build than a traditional thick build. This is especially evident in his lower body and is evident in his game especially when run blocking.
Scruggs just barely scratches the surface of being a solid athlete. Where he has visible plays on tape where he shows the ability to get out in space and attempt to make blocks. Also, does a great job keeping his pad low when blocking on the second level and locating linebackers and safeties. When in space he’s a smooth mover and looks like a fluid athlete.
Juice does best when he can block in gap scheme run concepts. It seems like he does just enough to win his one-on-one matchups. However, he’s not a consistent winner of one on one matchups for a number of reasons.
First, he does not fire off the ball with vigor. Too many times defensive lineman can easily win his chest with first-step quickness alone and he doesnt have the required athleticism to recover in those situations. Secondly, the leverage he plays with is too inconsistent. Not only does he not get off the ball quickly, but he also compounds the issue by continuously playing with bad or inconsistent leverage and defensive lineman take advantage of enough to where it's an issue. Third, he bends at the waist and not at the knees. This shows up in his pass-blocking and his run-blocking. In his run blocking when he is engaged he struggles to get any movement at the POA or in his one-on-one matchups. It's clearly evident that he struggles to generate power from his lower half which makes it tough for him to be a dominant force as a run blocker.
As a pass blocker, he’s not consistent when anchoring. Especially when engaged, if he’s being bull-rushed he doesnt reset and drop his hips quickly enough to recover. Or there are numerous times when he oversets and gets caught with a quick spin or swim move. Lastly, his hands are all over the place. It is almost as if in pass blocking situation he has a hard time grasping the timing of his punches especially when comes to dealing with the better interior defensive lineman who can easily knock that timing off with a slick move or movement.
Scruggs has some upside at guard because he does well with twists and stunts. I feel more confident with him as a swing guard due to the fact. We don't have enough evidence to suggest that he could go to a system where he would have to adjust protections when he wasn't asked to do
NFL COMPARISON....
This comparison comes because each player was tested and measured similarly at the combine. Also, I see both players' paths and roles at the NFL level as very similar. Backup-level players who can stay sticky on rosters, and maybe be a steady contributor. Lastly, some of their weaknesses are similar also in terms of being a waist bender which has led to some detrimental lunging from both players.
Juice has solid length which is never a bad thing playing the offensive line. If Juice can clean up his technique I can see him being a backup on teams like the Saints, 49ers, and Patriots. Teams who like to utilize extra linemen instead of tighteneds in heavy packages.
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