Scouting Report: Strengths

• Elite pass protection technique with exceptional hand placement and reset ability - consistently stones power rushers while maintaining pristine pocket integrity
• Demonstrates outstanding mental processing against stunts and blitzes, rarely fooled by defensive line games or late pressure packages
• Natural knee bender who plays with consistent leverage despite his height - shows impressive anchor against bull rushers who try to collapse the pocket
• Quick processor who excels at picking up delayed blitzers and helping teammates - outstanding awareness in pass protection
• Heavy hands in the run game with the ability to torque and drive defenders - particularly effective on down blocks and double teams
• Shows good mobility pulling and getting to the second level - able to adjust in space and connect with linebackers effectively
• Durable performer who's proven reliable against top competition - faced multiple future NFL defenders in SEC/Big 12 play
• Smart player who understands angles and leverages defensive alignments - rarely caught out of position or surprised by defensive shifts

Scouting Report: Weaknesses

• Can get overaggressive in the run game, occasionally lunging and losing balance when defenders go low or make late moves
• Despite good mobility, sometimes struggles to maintain blocks in space - contact balance needs refinement at the second level
• Shows some stiffness in his lower half when redirecting against quicker defensive tackles - can get beat by sudden inside moves
• Play strength is good but not elite - will need to continue adding functional power to handle NFL interior defenders
• Tends to narrow his base in pass protection when stressed, leading to occasional balance issues against sophisticated rush moves

Scouting Report: Summary

Conner profiles as an immediate contributor with starter upside at guard in a zone-heavy system that emphasizes pass protection. His exceptional awareness and technical refinement in pass protection will translate quickly to the NFL game, while his mobility and intelligence make him scheme-versatile despite some limitations.

His best fit comes in an offense that utilizes zone blocking concepts and values cerebral interior linemen who can handle sophisticated protection schemes. While he may need some development as a power run blocker, his foundation of technique and football IQ suggests a high floor with room to grow into an above-average NFL starter.

Teams running timing-based passing attacks will particularly value his ability to maintain clean pockets and handle complex defensive pressures. Projects as a third-round selection who could outperform his draft position if landing in the right system with good coaching to refine his run blocking technique.
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How other scouting services rate Hayden Conner (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
130.0
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
34.0
*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.