New York Giants Draft Prospect Profile: OL Spencer Fano, Utah

Strengths

• Excellent height with a lean/thin frame (for OL)
• Elite athlete with exceptional movement skills and explosiveness
• SMOOTH SMOOTH SMOOTH
• Crisp movement with elite fluidity 
• Sudden – elite quickness, change of direction, and lateral agility
• Frames his blocks well with excellent footwork
• Baits defenders with fake punches to force commitment 
• Varies his pass sets – elite jump set/45-degree
• Very good vertical set – excellent recovery ability
• Does well to mirror rushers up the arc 
• Hips can smoothly open to account for high-side rush
• Incredibly balanced and controlled at top of arc – great feet 
• Sufficient use of hands with solid grip strength 
• Can quickly attack and dictate on the LOS or be patient 
• Above average anchor – resets his feet well when dealing with power
• An ELITE screen weapon 
• Elite puller into space
• Elite burst and orientation out of his skip pull
• Accurate search and destroy in space
• Excellent at finding defenders in space 
• Generates good push on down blocks
• Hard pop on contact in COMBO situations when blocking inside shades
• Elite climb from COMBO
• Excellent ability to hinge at the LOS
• Elite understanding on where/how to position his hips in run game
• Keeps his feet churning through contact
• Elite competitor – finishes the play with authority

Weaknesses

• Lean for an offensive lineman
• Very short arms
• Overset a few times and was beat inside 
• Can get too grabby with his outside hand 
• Sub-average upper body strength 
• Generates less than optimal push when square to target 
• Pad level rises when driving which hinders his less than optimal push 
• Most experience is at right tackle, but arms may kick him inside for some teams

Summary

Spencer Fano is an elite athlete – one of the more controlled movers I’ve studied in a draft class at offensive tackle. Fano explodes into contact with elite quickness and a varied approach that keeps defenders guessing. 

Everything about his athletic profile and movement skills are exceptional, and his ability to fit his hands inside with the proper technique is sufficient, albeit his grip strength is not elite. 

Fano’s third-percentile arm-length and 18th-percentile wingspan – when coupled with his elite movement skills – may entice a team to move him inside. 

He is best suited to operate in a move-based blocking scheme that pulls him out in space often (puller Power/Gap) or uses his elite tracking ability to locate, close width, and destroy the enemy like the heat seeking missile that he is with momentum built. 

Fano’s power profile leaves some to be desired, especially when we’re talking about him in the top-ten. Still, though, his ability to anchor against power moves is enhanced by his flexibility; he can absorb a hit and does an elite job re-setting his feet underneath him. 

He’s not a liability by any means, but consistently moving bodies and sustaining blocks at the next level against bigger defensive lineman remains a question mark in the run game.

Overall, Spencer Fano is an elite and controlled mover who is an excellent pass protector and an elite move weapon in the run game. Few offensive lineman are as quick and swift as Fano; his hips don’t lie and his feet are quick, but he may not be a fit for every offense. 

GRADE: 6.73

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