Cornelius Lewis OL Tennessee St. 6'4 332 5.25

Lewis began his career at Florida St and redshirted the 2004 season. After playing quite a bit during the 2005 season, he was dismissed for multiple suspensions and conduct detrimental to the team. He sat out a year then resurfaced at Tennessee St. He has played both tackle spots and been named All Conference twice for the Tigers.

Strengths

Lewis has extensive experience at both left and right tackle and has the skills to play guard in the NFL. So he brings some versatility to the table, which will only help him adjust to the league and find a role in the NFL. Lewis has tremendous size and has the ability to dominate at the point of attack. He can control defenders with his hands or overpower them and drive them off the ball. He is also a surprisingly good athlete for a player his size, and moves well laterally in a limited area. Lewis’ blend of natural physical ability rates up there very highly with other guards in the draft, and he carries a lot of potential.

Weaknesses

Being dismissed from a program like Florida St raises a lot of questions. He will have to answer questions around that issue, and prove that he has grown up and is ready to focus on his football career. As a player, Lewis has experience at tackle but may lack the change of direction and footwork to remain outside in the NFL. With most of his experience coming at a lower level of competition, there are questions about how quickly he can adjust to the speed of the NFL.

Future

Lewis is a legitimate guard prospect with all the tools necessary to surprise in the NFL. He has starting guard physical ability. He had a tremendous showing at the Texas vs the Nation all star game, then had a solid showing at the combine. Tipping the scales at 6'4 325, he ran a 5..25 40 and did 29 reps on the bench. If teams are convinced that Lewis has matured, he brings a lot of value in the middle rounds of the draft.