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 Kingsley Suamataia.
Kingsley Suamataia's 2024 NFL Combine Results
- Height: 6-foot-4 5/8"
- Weight: 326
- Arm length: 34 1/4"
- 40-yard dash: 5.04
- 10-yard split: 1.74
- Bench Press Reps: 31
Kingsley Suamataia 2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report
Strengths
- Played with plus athleticism at right tackle in 2022, showing excellent movement, balance and active feet as a run blocker.
- Strong initial punch as base-and-drive blocker in the run game. Excellent feel for hand usage to maintain control.
- Did excellent job re-setting hands on the move as run blocker while keeping feet moving to sustain and finish.
- Efficient kick slide in pass protection with good balance and knee bend. Hands loose and in good position to strike.
- Controlled, measured use of hands in pass protection. Calculates swipes and re-sets without losing firm base.
- Poised and controlled in 45-degree and vertical pass sets. Clean lateral movement with range to seal the arc.
- Consistently played with good balance and upper and lower body coordination. An efficient controlled player.
- In 2023 he showed excellent length for the left tackle position, with a broad frame, long arms, plus athleticism and easy movement.
- Quickness off the ball and lateral range to execute reach blocks in the run game. Loose hips to get hisbody turned.
- Stayed comfortable with good balance and technique versus pass rushers, with multiple hand moves and counters.
- Showed independent arm technique in pass protection with the quick active hands to re-set when needed.
- Down blocks where he unlocked his hips moving defensive linemen with lower body strength and controlling with upper body strength.
- Efficiently worked to second level with plus athleticism and balance. Easy mover on climbs in the run game.
Weaknesses
- In 2024, in pass protection snaps, he was late and wide with his hands, allowing pass rushers to make first contact.
- In pass protection snaps, he drifted and overset, reacting to quick edge challenges and opening the inside for counters.
- At times, his outside foot would get too deep, forcing his body to turn to the sideline and creating a soft inside shoulder.
- Too upright at times in pass set with late hands being susceptible to getting beat with quickness across his face.
- In run game snaps, he struggled with quick moves across his face, forcing him to adjust aiming point on the move.
- At times on climbs to the second level he would struggle to sustain on contact, overextending and falling off blocks.
NFL Transition
Suamataia possesses all the athletic and physical traits to develop into a starting OT in the NFL but his transition will likely take some time given some of the issues and inconsistencies he needs to work out. Coaching and experience should help him improve in run blocking and pass protection.
Suamataia has excellent overall length, including the desired arm length for the tackle position. He showed easy movement skills and foot quickness with the needed knee bend and balance to be efficient in pass protection. There were many snaps where he looked textbook with his movement and technique.
In the run game, Suamataia also showed easy movement with the loose hips to execute tough reach blocks and climbs to the second level. There are a number of issues that must be cleaned up in pass protection but there is no question Suamataia has the athletic and physical foundation in place to match up 1-on-1 versus quality edge pass rushers at the next level. That is the critical element that coaches look for when evaluating and transitioning tackle at the next level. Play callers do not want to have to help their tackles with chips and double teams in pass protection in critical down and distance situations.
Other Notes
Suamataia came out of Utah as a high four-star recruit — winning four straight state championships. He initially went to Oregon, but after one season transferred to BYU where he became a starter at right tackle in his first season in 2022. Suamataia moved to left tackle for the 2023 season and started 10 games.
The Texas game was one of Suamataia’s toughest games of the season with a number of his issues in pass protection showing up throughout the game.
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