The 2025 NFL Draft offensive tackle class appears wide open on the surface, and with his scouting report, Arkansas’ Fernando Carmona could be the one to take advantage. What does Carmona bring to the table, and where does he separate himself?
Fernando Carmona’s Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’5″
- Weight: 324 pounds
- Position: Offensive Tackle
- School: Arkansas
- Current Year: Redshirt Junior
The OT1 mantle is up for grabs, and it’s anyone’s title to claim. Tackles like Will Campbell, Kelvin Banks Jr., and Jonah Savaiinaea are just a few who’ve been touted in the early months of the 2025 cycle — but Carmona is a darkhorse contender for the crown.
It’s easy to see why Carmona flies under the radar. The Las Vegas High School product was a former tight end, who signed with the San Jose State Aztecs as a three-star recruit. He kept his redshirt in 2021 and then started the next 24 games as the team’s left tackle.
In 2023, Carmona earned honorable mention All-Mountain West recognition and leveraged that momentum into a transfer opportunity with the Arkansas Razorbacks. Now, Carmona will get his chance to prove himself at the SEC level — and he has the traits to thrive.
Carmona’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Blocky, high-density tackle with excellent mass, weight distribution, and length.
- Has elite explosive capacity on the attack and can quickly climb to the second level.
- Possesses frightening range as a puller and climber, pummeling defenders in space.
- Flashes rare foot speed and recovery athleticism when repositioning versus speed.
- Has the hinge flexibility to explode upfield, then redirect and seal out pursuit threats.
- Has the violent torquing capacity and rotational freedom to fold defenders at will.
- Mass, torquing capacity, and ruthless physicality yield hyper-elite knockback power.
- Can plow interior defenders out of gaps when his lower body is properly aligned.
- Has a degree of natural leverage with his frame and can play square and align himself.
- Has the lower body and core strength to anchor and seal out opponents from gaps.
- Shows glimpses of good throttle control with matching footwork, keeping hip leverage.
- Has shown he can align his base while dragging his inside hand to hedge for stunts.
- Can attack the opponent’s collar with tight, powerful punches and nullify early moves.
- Rockets upfield in the run game, and can stack blocks with brutal quickness and zeal.
- Tenacious, high-energy blocker who exudes overwhelming physicality all through reps.
Weaknesses
- Sometimes plays too tall out of his kick, with not enough knee bend to keep leverage.
- On occasion, halts his feet in space and lurches past his center of gravity, losing balance.
- Inconsistent management of pad level and base load can impact engagement technique.
- Sometimes idles his feet too much and is caught flat against delayed rushes and stunts.
- At times, undersets out of his stance and doesn’t get enough depth on his kick.
- Sometimes drifts too far back off his set angle, impacting pass-blocking synergy.
- Can be prone to whiffing with precision on initial punches and bear-hugging in recovery.
- Could be more consistent at proactively loading and employing hands as a moving blocker.
- At times, lacks the high-end hip flexibility to seal off the apex while keeping speed.
- Occasionally experiences slight reaction delays when shifting run-game assignments.
- Sometimes sells out toward head-up defenders and misses delayed blitz threats.
- Will turn 23 years old ahead of his rookie season.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Entering the 2025 NFL Draft, Carmona grades out as a fringe first-round prospect and one of the top offensive tackle talents in the class. There’s still room for him to keep growing, but a year at Arkansas playing against SEC competition, could be all he needs to rise.
Carmona was a standout at San Jose State, and he verifiably looked to be a tier above his Mountain West counterparts. The 6’5″, 324-pound blocker moves differently, both off the line and in space — with hyper-elite explosiveness, foot speed, and short-area energy.
Going further, with his physical foundation, Carmona has stellar power capacity and torque output, which he can use to overwhelm defenders in multiple phases. To top it all off, he’s a true mauler who plays to the whistle and relishes the chance to finish opponents.
The framework is there for Carmona to be a scheme-diverse impact starting tackle. Having said all this, there are several areas that will be points of emphasis for him at the SEC level.
Carmona can improve at managing his pad level and base load as a moving blocker, and his pass-protection footwork — particularly when he’s getting and maintaining depth — can also improve. Additionally, while his recovery is strong, Carmona’s flexibility isn’t quite elite.
Still, Carmona grades extremely high for a lower-conference to upper-conference transfer, and his game rests on a strong foundation with his high-level athleticism, power, strength, and physicality. If he can keep building on that foundation, he could be one of the first tackles selected.
