The University of Miami (FL) hasn’t had an offensive lineman drafted since Danny Isidora in the 2017 NFL Draft. Can Alabama transfer Javion Cohen break that streak?
What does Cohen’s NFL Draft outlook look like? Can he make an impact for an NFL franchise?
Javion Cohen Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’4″
- Weight: 319 pounds
- Position: Guard
- School: Miami (FL)
- Current Year: Redshirt Junior
- Hand: 9 3/8″
- Arm: 33 7/8″
- Wingspan: 81 1/8″
A former four-star recruit out of the state of Alabama, Cohen initially stayed home and played for the Crimson Tide, where he found success rather quickly. Cohen landed on the All-SEC Freshman Team with the Tide and became a mainstay at guard in 2021 and 2022, starting all but one game for Alabama in that period.
For the 2023 season, Cohen transferred to Miami, partly due to Mario Cristobal and Alex Mirabal’s noted development history with offensive linemen and some coaching turnover at Alabama.
Javion Cohen is a OG prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 5.58 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 701 out of 1583 OG from 1987 to 2024. https://t.co/CsTtBEA8U3 pic.twitter.com/W71UsjzZg9
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 20, 2024
Cohen started every game for the Hurricanes last year and acquitted himself well. The talented offensive lineman allowed just one sack all season and earned an All-ACC Honorable Mention.
Cohen’s Scouting Report
Games Watched: Texas A&M (2023), North Carolina (2023), NC State (2023), Florida State (2023), Louisville (2023), Virginia (2023)
Strengths
- Huge, wide frame, with good length
- Keeps defenders out of his chest
- Accurate, strong initial punch
- Escorts defenders out of lanes with relative ease
- Good anchor to hold up against the bull rush
- Identifies stunts and blitzes well
- Good competitive toughness and physical mentality
Weaknesses
- Stiff lateral mover, poor change of direction skill
- Choppy footwork
- Struggles to line up targets in space
- Poor pad level that loses leverage battle right away
- Slow out of his stance
Current Draft Projection & Summary
Cohen is a difficult projection to the NFL. His massive frame makes him a “first guy off the bus” candidate, and he backs it up with good play strength.
You can see Cohen’s well-coached, given his good hand placement and timing with his strikes, plus his ability to diagnose what defenses are throwing at him. His play strength and anchor allow him to handle power on the inside and cave defenders out of the play, and he plays with a physical, nasty demeanor.
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However, Cohen’s athletic limitations hurt his projection immensely. He’ll struggle to change direction when moving laterally, leaving himself open to quicker rushers and against slanting/looping blitzers.
He lacks the body control to effectively line targets up in space when climbing and working at the second level, and he is too quick to shoot upright out of his stance, losing the leverage battle almost immediately.
There’s a spot for Cohen in the NFL. He would be at his best in a gap-heavy offense, where he can use his play strength to better affect and limit his work as a climber in space. Cohen can handle his own in pass protection against most average NFL defensive tackles, but likely would “get got” by quicker tackles.
Cohen projects as a backup/spot starter guard option in the NFL. How high he gets drafted will be determined by a quality showing of his athletic upside at the NFL Scouting Combine and other individual workouts.
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