Would Lamont Gaillard be a fit for the Chicago Bears?
While many eyes are on running backs, the Chicago Bears do have other needs in the draft. While they signed Ted Larsen and restructured with Kyle Long, they could still use some help in the interior for the long term.
Could Georgia center Lamont Gaillard be a swing guard with starter potential?
Here is what Lance Zierlein of NFL.com says. His offensive line opinions have always been his strongest ability.
"Three-year starter and team captain whose tenacity and dirt-dog mentality typifies the Georgia offensive line over the last couple of years. Gaillard’s play is not without technique, but when the rep gets sideways on him, he will turn it into a proverbial fist-fight to try and hang on and get his job done. He’s better down the middle than laterally and may be best suited in a power-based run scheme. It’s not going to always look pretty, but his tape against Alabama shows that he’s capable of becoming an eventual starter sometime soon."
His “dirt-dog” mentality shows in the run game as Pro Football Focus has him rated as the eighth best run blocker in the class. He also ranked eighth in snaps per inside pressure allowed, and 20th in snaps per pressure allowed.
Check out this twitter thread for some clips of Lamont Gaillard in action
Lamont Gaillard vs. LSU..I see you 👀 👌
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) February 18, 2019
1) First play of the game - message sent (attitude)
2) Snatch (use of leverage)
3) Jump hook (toolbox)
4) Vertical movement + staying heavy on the DBL (hips) pic.twitter.com/1ERFPxhBCx
Skinny
When the Chicago Bears signed Larsen, they were adding a replacement for Eric Kush. A player who could slot in at guard or center in a moments notice. However, with an injury to Kush, the team quickly had to sign a free agent off of the street.
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Rather than re-signign Bryan Witzmann the team could look to Gaillard as reliable depth with the ability to start in a pinch.
Lamont Gaillard plays with an extremely aggressive mentality and is a stud in the running game. However, technique wise he has to be built up.
The Bears are looking for impact run blockers, and while Long is not the most durable option, his presence combined with Larsen gives the Bears the chance to groom a player with upside such as Lamont Gaillard.
His raw abilities will get him into the middle rounds when the Bears draft. He is a name to keep an eye on moving forward.