Scouting Profile: Josh Conerly Jr. - OT - Oregon
Sales Pitch: Athletic tackle who thrives in pass protection. Lack of length or overwhelming strength limits his upside but should slide in as a high floor starter for a zone scheme offense.
*Gold Numbers Indicate NCAA T-25 for 2024*
Scouting Report
Josh Conerly Jr. is a former 5-Star recruit and #1 overall prospect from the state of Washington. He started every game for Oregon in both 2023 and 2024, receiving all conference honors in both seasons and All-American honors in 2024.
Conerly is an athletic tackle who excels out in space. He is at his best as a zone blocker where he displays the first step quickness to get out and execute blocks on the move. He has the burst and hip flexibility to reach and seal lineman a full gap over in either direction. Conerly is quick to climb to the second level on both combo blocks and double teams. His movement skills allow him to redirect and mirror LBs in space when he gets there. He has quick strong hands that are able to control and steer defenders when he attaches in the run game. His quickness also makes him a strong puller on gap scheme runs. At Oregon Conerly was a better pass blocker than run defender due to his agility and quickness. He does an excellent job varying his set points and has the burst to quickly attack speed rushers off the line of scrimmage. Conerly made a big leap with his hand usage as a pass protector in 2024. He struggled with over extending during his sophomore year, and now does a much better job being patient with his strikes to ensure they land. Conerly shows solid strength versus power rushers but it is his bend and balance that steal the show. He has the ability to absorb contact to the chest without collapsing the pocket.
Conerly is smaller tackle with well below average height and average arm length. He struggles to get significant displacement in the run game, often winning with body positioning as opposed to power. His shorter arms limit his ability to lock out and steer larger defenders, which creates difficulties sustaining blocks. He is a solid run blocker on gap scheme concepts, but it is not his strength. Conerly has a bad habit - that has gotten better in 2024 - of freezing his feet when he punches in pass protection. This creates some soft corners that top end speed rushers can attack. His lack of length can also be an issue versus longer edge rushers. They are able to get first contact and get good initial knockback on Conerly before his anchor can activate.
Conerly profiles best as a left tackle in a zone heavy scheme. His movement skills and pass protection ability should translate right away. His lack of raw power or length may limit his ceiling on the outside but he still projects as a late Day-1, early Day-2 pick with starter quality traits.