Ricky Stromberg 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Background: 

• Enters 2022 as a fourth-year starter; logged snaps at both guard spots and center
• Rimington Trophy Watch List honors

System: 

• Scheme tendencies: Diverse run-heavy offense, featuring a lot of quarterback power and aggressive downhill rushing
• 2022 projected role: Starting center

Pros: Ricky Stromberg is a well-tenured starter at the SEC level. He’s seen the best of the best and as a result, you have a pretty vivid picture of his strengths. He’s capable of pretty high-level reps in both the vertical run game and working as a quick-reach player to set the point of attack and establish a firm lane to cut back into. He leverages his hands well at the point to combat and manipulate the pads of defenders and carve out a gap in the point of attack. When tested with power, Stromberg holds up fairly well. He’s got a bigger frame for a center and has showcased the needed anchor against power rushers to win one on one. You shouldn’t consider him a persistent help player in the front; he can handle isolated matchups. Positional versatility is something that will go as a big plus—having the utility to move him around and reshuffle your line based on injuries is something that always adds value as teams look to negotiate the right balance on their 53-man roster.

Cons: In two games against Georgia and Alabama alone, Ricky Stromberg went against a top-15 pick in Jordan Davis, a top-30 pick in Devonte Wyatt, a top-50 pick in Phidarian Mathis, and a future first-round choice in Jalen Carter. I didn’t think he won any of those matchups with regularity. The bigger-bodied defenders tested his sustained finish ability and provided wins on the interior. The quicker penetration types tested him with initial burst and his ability to quickly get out of the blocks. I thought length was, in all those matchups, a barrier that prevented consistent fits on blocks. Maybe that’s an unfair baseline to hold him to—and I’m not ready to put and say he can’t play at a higher level—but Stromberg gave me some Tyler Biadasz in 2019 vibes (Biadasz appeared to take a step back with his functional athleticism after offseason hip surgery). Stromberg’s feet are too often dead after contact and that cuts down on his sustained blocks. There’s also the aforementioned length dynamic, which negates his gravitational pull as a blocker, too.

Ricky Stromberg NFL Draft Scouting Report by Kyle Crabbs