The Middle Atlantic Conference, much like the Sun Belt, rarely gets the credit it’s due but has quietly produced its share of top-tier NFL players over the years. Khalil Mack, Brandon Brooks, Antonio Brown, Kenny Golladay, Kareem Hunt, and Eric Fisher immediately come to mind. One of the players poised to emerge from the MAC in 2020, as a potential blue-chip prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft, is Miami RedHawks offensive tackle Tommy Doyle.
Doyle, who originally arrived at Miami as a defensive end, boasts tremendous size, length, and athleticism for the position, and managed to parlay an improbable rise to prominence following a strong redshirt junior campaign in which he showcased NFL traits and dominant play. With expectations understandably high for Doyle entering his final season with the RedHawks, he will have an opportunity to entrench himself among the elite at his position ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Redshirt Junior Arrival
Doyle, who was part of a road-grading offensive line that spearheaded the RedHawks’ prolific rushing attack to the tune of 159.8 yards per game in 2018, made a seamless adjustment to the blindside last season.
The monstrous offensive tackle started all 13 games on the left side, earning first-team All-MAC and Miami’s Offensive Player of the Year honors for his standout performance. Doyle was part of a stout offensive line that surrendered merely 2.0 sacks per game and proved to be among the few offensive tackles in the country that could stymie burly Iowa pass rusher A.J. Epenesa, limiting the eventual second-round selection to a single tackle in the season opener.
With Doyle no longer one of college football’s best-kept secrets, the offensive tackle will enter his redshirt senior campaign expected to raise the bar and take his game to the next level, effectively solidifying his status as one of the nation’s top offensive linemen ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft.
2020 outlook for Miami offensive tackle Tommy Doyle
Few small school prospects can help themselves more with a strong finish to their collegiate career than Tommy Doyle. The mammoth offensive tackle will reprise his role as blindside protector once again and will team up with 2019 third-team All-MAC center Danny Godlevske to form one of the more formidable offensive lines in the Middle Athletic Conference.
The RedHawks’ offensive line will be tested early by Pittsburgh’s elite defensive front; Doyle will draw Panthers’ disruptive edge rusher Patrick Jones II, but will also encounter a slew of talented pass rushers throughout the season with teams such as Cincinnati, Central Michigan, and Buffalo on the docket. If Doyle proves he can build off of an exceptional redshirt junior campaign, where he effectively announced his arrival on a national stage, and return to fall camp with a more polished overall game, the Minnesota native should find himself among the fastest risers when the pre-draft cycle ultimately begins.
Tommy Doyle’s 2021 NFL Draft prospects
Much like what Saint John (MN) offensive tackle Ben Bartch accomplished last season, Doyle will have an opportunity to rise from relative obscurity to garner consideration for being among the premier offensive tackle prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft.
While Doyle performed admirably in 2018 at right tackle, putting together two seasons of dominance while playing one of the NFL’s most valuable positions will do wonders in elevating his draft stock. The 6-foot-8, 326-pound mauler boasts imposing size and strength to fend off a myriad of edge rushers, but perhaps most encouraging when projecting Doyle’s NFL upside, is that he continues to show signs of improvement and is beginning to understand how to use his innate physical attributes to his advantage. His technique and pad level will need refinement and he must improve his flexibility for sustained success at the next level, however.
Doyle is still very much a work in progress as a pass protector, but he possesses the requisite awareness, lateral movement, foot speed, and football intelligence to solidify that aspect of his game. The reigning first-team All-MAC lineman is at his best as a run blocker, where his hand usage, explosion, and strength at the point of attack to drive defenders off the ball appears most natural. If Doyle plays to his potential in 2020, the prevalent questions surrounding his level of competition will soon dissipate.