Penn State's Brenton Strange and Juice Scruggs drafted in second round
Penn State tight end Brenton Strange and center Juice Scruggs have heard their names called. On Friday night, Strange and Scruggs were drafted back-to-back with the 61st and 62nd overall picks by the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans respectively.
Strange was a four-star recruit in the 2019 recruiting cycle and was a Rivals250 prospect coming in at No.221 nationally as well as a top-10 tight end. In his recruitment, he amassed nearly 20 scholarship offers but ultimately chose the Nittany Lions over Power Five offers from Louisville, Maryland, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Purdue, Rutgers, and Wake Forest. In the end, the Nittany Lions beat out Purdue as their biggest competition.
As a true freshman, Strange would redshirt but would play in two games and recorded his first career touchdown in the season opener at the time, a four-yard touchdown pass from former Nittany Lion and fellow second-round pick quarterback Will Levis. As a redshirt freshman, Strange would see a bigger role, playing in nine games and making five starts. That season he would record 17 receptions for 164 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The 2021 season would be a small breakout season for Strange, recording 20 receptions for 225 yards and three touchdowns while being an All-Big Ten honorable mention while starting in all 13 games. He would return as the Nittany Lions full-time starter once again, starting in all 13 games while posting 32 receptions for 362 yards and five touchdowns. He would name an All-Big Ten third-team selection by the coaches and an honorable mention from the media.
Brenton Strange scouting report....
At 6-foot-4, 250-pounds Strange can do a little bit of everything at the tight-end position. He is one of the more versatile tight ends in the draft and is specifically special with the ball in his hands.
As a blocker, he’s very consistent. From blocking on split zones plays to blocking out wide on screen passes to even lining up in the backfield. Strange can be deployed as a blocking weapon in any formation. Using good leverage and good hand placement, Strange does a great job of blocking on the move and in space.
As a receiver, he can line up both in line and in the slot and does his best work when he’s schemed open, but he has some nice flashes on tape where he uses nuanced route running to get open. However, as previously mentioned, he’s special with the ball in his hands and making things happen after the catch. With his solid foot speed and agility Penn State made it a priority to get the ball in space to allow him to make plays.
He could carve out these same types of roles in the NFL and with the right team and system and has the potential to develop into a starter. He tested well during the NFL Combine so with his skill set and athleticism. - Happy Valley Insider contributor EJ Daniels
Scruggs was a four-star prospect in the 2018 recruiting class and was a top-15 prospect in the state of Pennsylvania. He committed to the Nittany Lions over LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State, and Pittsburgh among others.
His Penn State career would get off to a scary start as a very bad car accident almost jeopardized his playing career with a back injury following the 2018 season. After working his way back to the field, Scruggs played in seven games as a redshirt sophomore in 2020 and earned the program's Tim Shaw Thrive Award alongside Journey Brown for overcoming adversity and being an inspiration to their teammates.
After playing in those seven games as a redshirt sophomore, Scruggs became a full-time starter in 2021 for the Nittany Lions and helped solidify the team's offensive line. He would reprise his role this past fall, once again starting in all 13 games and improving on his play, becoming one of the country's best centers. He would go onto be named a third-team All-Big Ten selection by the Big Ten coaches.
Juice Scruggs scouting report....
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." - Happy Valley Insider contributor EJ Daniels
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