Drafted by Buffalo Bills
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 298
Arm Length: 31 3/8
40-Yard Dash: 5.2 seconds
10-Yard Split: 1.77 seconds
3-Cone: 7.46 seconds
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.82 seconds
Vertical: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
Pros
- Possesses very good play strength.
- Plays with a good leg drive to drive defenders back.
- Has a solid base.
- Does a good job getting hands-on and locking out.
- Displays good bursts getting out of his stance.
- Has a finisher’s mentality.
Cons
- Will occasionally play top-heavy.
- Needs to be more consistent with his punch timing and accuracy.
- Inconsistent setting his anchor in pass protection.
Notes
- First-team All-SEC in 2023.
- Second-team All-SEC in 2022.
- First-team All-American in 2023 by ESPN and Sports Illustrated.
- Second-team All-American in 2023 by AP, CBS, Fox Sports, The Athletic, and others.
Overview
Going into the year, Georgia’s Sedrick Van Pran was one of the most anticipated center prospects. While he’s still regarded as one of the best centers in his class, is he deserving of this distinction? What does the former Bulldog do well and where can he improve?
The first thing that stands out with Van Pran is his play strength. Maintaining a solid base with his constant leg drive, Van Pran knows how to combine his lower and upper halves to impose his will on defenders. Coming out of his stance, Van Pran has a finisher’s mentality. He explodes off the ball to quickly engage where he does a good job of getting hands-on and locking out. Once this happens, Van Pran makes sure you feel all of his 315-pound frame as he looks to dominate both physically and mentally.
However, Van Pran has shown he can be too excited going into contact. Occasionally, he’ll play top-heavy which is evident as he approaches second-level defenders and tries to counter the secondary moves of defensive linemen. Additionally, he needs to be more accurate with his punches and more consistent with the timing of them as well. All this has contributed to his inconsistencies in anchoring down in pass protection.
While he was gaining first-round looks early on in the year, some haven’t changed their positioning on the Georgia product. Still, others are realizing that they may have been too high on Van Pran in the beginning. Nevertheless, it’s looking unlikely that he’ll fall out of the second round come April.
My Two Cents
For someone who’s earned All-American and All-SEC honors, I expected more from Sedrick Van Pran. He’s a fine player, but I project that it’ll take him longer than anticipated to acclimate himself to the speed and strength of NFL defenses. I hope he proves me wrong, but currently, I have him as Center4 in this year’s class.
Drafted Round 5, Pick 141 to the Buffalo Bills
For more football content click here.
Featured Articles
Featured Writers
