The 2024 NFL Draft is getting close, making it an excellent time to highlight some of the class' best players with scouting reports. Each report will include strengths, weaknesses and background information.
Here's our report on Drake Nugent.
Drake Nugent 2024 NFL COMBINE RESULTS
- Height: 6-foot-2
- Weight: 301
- 40-yard dash: 5.23
- 10-yard split: 1.83
- Vertical jump: 29.5"
- Broad jump: 8'5"
Drake Nugent 2024 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT
STRENGTHS
- Instinctive and aware blocker who plays with good vision as a run and pass blocker to react to defenders
- Technically sound run blocking while using good angles and leverage, allowing him to control and maintain his blocks
- Active hands in working to reposition them as pass blocker to help him stay engaged at limit a push
- Physicality and aggression at point of contact as run and pass blocker to attempt to control defenders
- Good balance and core strength allow him to move his feet and stay with blockers as they move.
- Good lateral quickness to redirect to stick with quick defenders or stunts to secure blocks on edge of defender
- Athleticism to get out in space in screen and edge run game – good mobility to make blocks in space
WEAKNESSES
- Struggles to maintain good weight distribution in space when making blocks out on edge and at second level (lunges)
- Undersized center with questionable playing strength, causing him to struggle to anchor (especially vs. speed to power rush) and hold his ground vs. good power/bull, resulting in defenders generating a push or penetration
- Had issues when attacked with power at the snap (head up DT) and with a defender getting under his pads
- More comfortable moving down the field as a run blocker and in the screen game than backward when pass-setting
NFL TRANSITION
Nugent started 24 games at center from 2021-2022 for Stanford prior to transferring to Michigan for his senior year, where he started all 15 games at center. He is an instinctive and aware blocker who plays with good vision both as a run and pass blocker.
He is undersized, causing him to struggle to anchor and hold his ground against a good power or bull rush as a pass protector. He has good lateral movement and quickness as a pass and run blocker when he can move his feet to pick up quicker defenders or stunts by blocking a part of the defender instead of a head-up blocker with good power.
Michigan’s offense had a lot of shifts, motions and misdirection to help create better angles for its lineman and blockers in the run and pass game schemes. This helped Nugent vs. powerful teams and defenders like Alabama and Ohio State.
Overall, Nugent is technically sound as a run blocker and pass blocker with how he plays with good footwork to move his feet and play with proper angles. He's slightly undersized, which affects his ability to control defenders once engaged, resulting in him allowing push/penetration vs. powerful defenders.
He's worth a mid-to-late-round pick who could develop into a solid NFL starter if he puts some weight on and plays in the right scheme. That would be one where he can utilize his movement and technique to position himself to make blocks with proper angles.
OTHER NOTES
Nugent came out of Lone Tree, Colo., as a three-star recruit and ranked 17th in the nation at center. He initially attended Stanford and started 24 games in 2021 and 2022, and he earned All Pac-12 honorable mention in both seasons. He transferred to Michigan and started all 15 games at center, where he earned first-team All-Big Ten and was a Rimington Trophy finalist.
From 2021-2023, Nugent had the 11th-most offensive snaps at center (2,316). Of these plays, he had 1,293 pass plays, allowing only 10 pressures (0.8 percent pressure rate). Nugent had 1,013 running plays with only 14 snaps of blown assignments (1.4 percent bad run block rate). These block rates were amongst the best of the centers with 2,000 or more plays.
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