Elijah Paige OT USC |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #72 SUB-POSITION: Left Tackle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 08/03/2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2027 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 5.05 seconds (87%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age: 21.5 DOB: 02/19/2005 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #72 | |
| SUB-POSITION: Left Tackle | |
| Last Updated: 08/03/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2027 | |
| Forty time: 5.05 seconds (87%*) | |
| Age: 21.5 DOB: 02/19/2005 | |
| Overall Rating: |
81.2 / 100
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| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
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76% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Pass Blocking: |
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76% |
| Run Blocking: |
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66% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
5th
Overall Rank:
#154
Position rank:
#23 (OL)
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| College Games: 24 College Snaps: 1169 | ||
ESPN RATING: 79/100
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247 RATING: 93/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.9 (97%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Aamil Wagner - Notre Dame |
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88% |
| Jack Nelson - Wisconsin |
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87% |
| Jaxson Kirkland - Washington |
|
83% |
Draft Profile: Bio
Paige made history as a freshman, earning Freshman All-America honors at left tackle for USC. A Phoenix product out of Pinnacle, he was a four-star and a top-25 tackle who decommitted from Notre Dame before signing with the Trojans. He held down the blindside as a young starter, anchoring the USC line.An injury limited Paige to seven games in 2025, but he started at left tackle when healthy, taking 163 pass-blocking snaps and 147 in the run game while allowing just six pressures. The frame, the foot quickness and the early all-conference pedigree mark him as a long-term blindside protector with starter reps already banked at a young age, healthy and ready to reclaim the job. The Freshman All-America season at left tackle remains the headline, and the early starting reps and athletic frame keep his ceiling among the higher ones on a USC line that leaned on his protection.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Prototype tackle frame, long and well-distributed, with smooth easy movement off the snap.
- Did not commit a penalty or allow a sack across seven starts in 2025.
- Nebraska and Purdue barely threatened his edge in pass protection, the steadiest part of his game.
- Won USC's left tackle job as a redshirt freshman and held it when healthy.
- Uses his length to stall wide rushers before they can threaten the corner.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Availability is the flaw; two separate injuries limited him to seven games in 2025.
- Northwestern and Michigan State stood him up at the point; run blocking sags below his pass protection.
- More catcher than striker at contact; rarely displaces defenders or finishes through them.
- Career snap count is thin, leaving strength and durability questions both unanswered.
Scouting Report: Summary
When he plays, the tape is clean. Paige held USC's left tackle job for two seasons whenever his body allowed, and the 2025 sample is quietly impressive: no sacks allowed, no penalties committed, and pass-protection outings against Nebraska and Purdue where his edge was closed for business. The frame is what scouts draw up, long and well-distributed, and he moves with the ease of a much smaller man.The problem is the sample keeps shrinking. Two separate injuries limited him to seven games, one suffered while blocking on a point-after unit and another that ended his season against Iowa, and his career snap count is thin for a two-year starter. On the field, the run game lags well behind the pass protection; Northwestern and Michigan State both stood him up at the point, and he absorbs contact rather than delivering it. Strength and availability are separate questions, and both remain open.
That makes him one of the trickier projections in this group. The pass-protection foundation, the frame and the discipline are starter-caliber ingredients, and tackles who keep the quarterback untouched are hard to find this far down a board. The medical review will decide everything, though, and he needs a full healthy season of starts in 2026 to prove the body holds. If it does, this evaluation will look conservative; if it does not, he is a talented swing tackle who can never quite stay on the field.
How other scouting services rate Elijah Paige (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
218.0
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
30.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.