Bengals NFL Draft Film Breakdown: Will Dylan Fairchild Be Able to Protect Joe Burrow as a Rookie?

• Fairchild possesses pop and power in his hands allowing him to jolt defenders on contact. Does a good job of transitioning into the drive phase as well to continue moving defenders.

• Does a great job of combination blocks and climbing to the second level against even or minus linebackers where he can be teed up without having to chase them.

• Has looser hips allowing him to swivel and get himself in position to wall off defenders in the open field.

• Knocks back penetrators on stunts when passing them. Truly passes these players with aggression rather than just expecting his teammate to take the penetrator.

Areas of Concern

• Plays completely out of control far too often. This leads to complete whiffs in the run game and being put in a bad position and forced to recover in the pass game.

• Has a tendency to miss his aiming points in the run game leading to inefficient or missed blocks. Also has a tendency to overset in the passing game to give up pressure to the inside.

• Stops his feet and chooses to wrestle rather than continuing to drive his feet to move the defender.

Overall Thoughts

Fairchild is a wildcard prospect at the guard position.

In the run game, Fairchild’s strength allows him to displace defenders on double teams, combination blocks, and even when one-on-one. His strength can translate to the NFL game and allow for him to produce some highlight plays against any type of competition.

His understanding of leverage is beneficial, but his reliance on upper body strength and wrestling his opponents rather than driving his feet will hurt him. Those wrestling types of plays are harder against NFL competition and often lead to holding penalties.

Overall, he seems to be a solid athlete although he didn't go through pre-draft testing. He does have loose hips which allow for him to work in space well and pivot, turn, and seal defenders. When he gets lined up against the second level, he can do devastating work, but he seems to struggle a bit when the backer is to the play side and he has to change his angle of departure.

He’s inconsistent with the angles he takes in the run game. He also needs to have a stronger backside hand and close space so that he stops defenders from shedding to the backside of plays and giving up run stops.

In pass protection, Fairchild’s upper body strength shows once again in the pop in his hands and his ability to pass stunts. He does an excellent job of passing his defender on stunts and setting up his adjacent offensive linemen to succeed.

Similar issues arise for him with his unrefined angles and stopping his feet. He often oversets his opponent and relies on his recovery ability to win back the inside. That worked for him in college but it’s unlikely to have the same result in the NFL because these are the best of the best athletes.

He needs to continue to move his feet in the pass game so that he can stay in front of his opponent. He also will give up his chest in the pass game fairly frequently and can be slow to anchor against the opposing bull rush. He should protect himself more to give a firmer pocket to the quarterback rather than relying on his strength and athleticism to win which concedes more ground.

Schematic Fit

It’s likely that Fairchild starts the season at left guard taking over for Cordell Volson. Fairchild’s strength as a run blocker should allow for some highlight plays in the Bengals inside zone/duo run scheme and his ability to pass stunts will help out Ted Karras at center and Orlando Brown Jr. at left tackle.

There’s a lot of his game to refine, but he should come in at or above the level that Volson provided over the last couple of seasons. Even with that noted, he needs to protect himself more in pass protection so that he can provide a firm pocket for Joe Burrow and the drop back passing game. If he can refine himself as a player, he could become a true plus starter by year three.