Oregon’s offensive line was on the cusp of being an award-winning unit in 2023, and 2025 NFL Draft offensive tackle prospect Josh Conerly Jr. was a major force in that bid for glory. With his scouting report, where does Conerly rank in the upcoming OT group?
Josh Conerly Jr.’s Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’4″
- Weight: 305 pounds
- Position: Offensive Tackle
- School: Oregon
- Current Year: Junior
The Oregon Ducks’ blocking front was a prime reason they were so close to making the College Football Playoffs in 2023. The presence of Bo Nix and Troy Franklin was just as pivotal, but linemen like Jackson Powers-Johnson, Ajani Cornelius, and Conerly helped keep the unit humming.
The Ducks anticipated that Conerly would eventually provide this kind of impact. He was one of the crown jewels of Dan Lanning’s inaugural recruiting class at Oregon — a five-star recruit and a top-10 national talent out of Rainier Beach High School in Washington.
Conerly played in 13 games for the Ducks as a key reserve in 2022. And then in 2023 — as a true sophomore — he started all 14 games at left tackle. He allowed just one sack over that span and earned honorable-mention All-Pac-12 recognition.
Conerly and Cornelius are back in 2024 to form one of the most imposing tackle duos in the entire nation. And Conerly, in particular, could have early-round aspirations to go along with it.
Conerly’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Squatty, low-to-the-ground OT with excellent natural leverage and proportional length.
- Explosive, fleet-footed mover with exceptional range and closing burst in open space.
- Rare change of direction skills allows for easy recovery and recalibration against loopers.
- Despite wider frame, has the hinge flexibility to quickly adjust his attack angle on runs.
- With natural leverage and proportional length, can slab linemen with good initial power.
- Beyond natural leverage, plays with great pad level, knee bend, and controlled lean.
- Has the hand power to erode the balance of opposing rushers with clean, precise strikes.
- Employs clean pass sets and synergetic technique and can keep synergy through reps.
- Able to anchor and maintain pad level while extending and latching onto rushers.
- Has enough core and grip strength to seal rushers at the apex with well-timed latches.
- Can extend while swatting inside hand moves and can gather rushers with active hands.
- Gets great depth on his kick and can square up rushers while adjusting base alignment.
- Has the awareness to easily pick up and pass off stunting rushers while repositioning.
- Active, fast-flowing run blocker who can climb upfield and stack blocks with haste.
- Has great baseline physicality and pursues assignments with urgency and zeal.
Weaknesses
- Lacks the elite mass or lower body strength to drop the anchor and absorb bull rushes.
- Isn’t able to consistently halt displacement on power rushes with his initial anchor.
- With middling mass, doesn’t have elite knock-back or driving power at contact.
- At times, could stand to channel more force on initial extensions in the run game.
- Occasionally widens his hands too far out of his stance, exposing himself to power.
- Can improve hand precision and leverage maintenance on stunts to prevent lurching.
- Misses with initial strikes can cause him to lose alignment and lock out his hips.
- Hands are sometimes too slow and inefficient past initial extensions and punches.
- Can be prone to occasional grabs and tugs when he’s worked out of synergy.
- With energized athleticism, occasionally drifts past proper depth, opening inside paths.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Entering the 2025 NFL Draft cycle, Conerly grades out as a top-64 prospect who could eventually contend for first-round capital. A former five-star recruit, Conerly has all of the requisite talent, and he’s impressively refined for a player with his level of experience.
Athleticism and leverage are two of the most important components for becoming a successful offensive lineman at the NFL level — and those are two areas where Conerly is truly elite. At 6’4″, 305 pounds, he’s an explosive, energized athlete with supreme range and recovery, made more potent by his almost infallible pad-level maintenance.
It’s difficult to win the leverage battle against Conerly … period. And even if you can contend, he’s already advanced with his footwork and repositioning skills. He excels at staying square to defenders while keeping synergy, and he’s shown he can use a variety of hand moves to stymy rushes.
In the run game, Conerly is just as exciting. With his range, he can execute pulls and second-level climbs with ease, and he’s a weapon as a lead blocker with his unique natural leverage, energized athleticism, and closing explosiveness.
At 305 pounds, Conerly’s power absorption can be an issue. Thus, he’ll need to add a bit more mass as he nears his NFL ascent. And even with his stalwart positioning skills, his hand precision as a pass protector can still be a bit more consistent.
Nevertheless, Conerly has all of the natural talent and the operational fail-safes necessary to eventually command Round 1 or early Day 2 capital. And within that range, he has the tools to be a quality NFL starter with a particular affinity for zone and counter schemes.