Along with Derrick Harmon and other Ducks, Josh Conerly Jr. has been flying up NFL Draft boards in the offseason. He profiles as a borderline day-one starter for most teams, and could be an instant-impact player at the next level. Even Mr. FishDuck was excited to discuss the NFL future of Conerly, and took a break from his study of college football betting and Ncaaf news to chime in with his thoughts.
Just yesterday NFL Analyst at Athlon Sports, Luke Easterling, wrote his analysis about Oregon’s Josh Conerly Jr….
Strengths
“One of the best overall athletes in this year’s offensive tackle class, Conerly moves extremely well for a trench player, with smooth footwork and impressive fluidity when changing direction. He’s able to mirror speed rushers by exploding off the ball and taking efficient angles, setting his base and walling off the defender. He climbs well when moving up to take out linebackers in the run game, and he’s got no problems hitting moving targets when forced to lead the way out in space.
The same footwork and understanding of leverage and angles serves him well on runs between the tackles, too, as he’s quick to get to his landmarks and anchor effectively against his man.”
Josh Conerly Jr. No. 76 was crucial protecting the blind side of QB Dillon Gabriel. (Photo by Steven Chan)
Weaknesses
“While he’s got a solid enough frame, Conerly wins with angles and finesse more than power, which could cause him some problems against bigger and more powerful defensive linemen in the NFL. He’s nimble as a pass protector, more polished rushers can occasionally beat him with well-timed counter moves that put him off balance and force his punches to miss the target.”
I would agree that Conerly needs to add to his strength considering how stout the NFL defensive tackles are, who will loop around in a stunt to face him. He did well with Abdul Carter, but Carter is also on the light side as Josh is. But I do see an overall bright future for the left tackle from Our Beloved Ducks.
Ceiling: Early Second Round
As much as I love the recent buzz with Conerly, I don’t see him going in the first round. He has great size and athleticism to dominate, and has proven it against NFL-caliber talent like Abdul Carter and others in the B1G. The video below highlights some of the intense plays between the two elite players in the B1G Championship game in December.
One mock draft has the Philadelphia Eagles taking Conerly as their first pick, and many Oregon fans would love to see that happen. Usually, the best Ducks end up at a team with little upside potential as Jackson Powers-Light learned with the Las Vegas Raiders last season. Seeing Josh with a winner would make watching the occasional NFL game that much more fun. (Can he get to Denver or with the Chargers?)
I love what we saw from him this past season with Gabriel, and Isaiah World will be able to fill his shoes well when protecting Dante Moore this upcoming season. Hopefully, we’ll get to a skeleton of the offense in the Spring game this month, and we’ll have a better understanding of where the offensive line is headed for the 2025-2026 season.
Remember: this position group particularly had a rough start to 2024. They did not mesh well, injuries piled up right off the bat, and they finished the season in subpar fashion after a streak of games where the entire squad played some of their best football.
It has been years since I was as worried as I was about offensive line play in 2024, and thankfully they were able to right the ship for the most part by the end of the year.
Anyway–enough from me, Duck fans. Where do you think Conerly will go in the NFL Draft? Could you see him starting week one of next season?
Alex Heining
Los Angeles, California
Top Photo By: Zach Bolinger
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Alex Heining is an Oregon alumni from the graduate class of 2021. After studying sports business and media studies, he has moved into the field of digital marketing as a copywriter and content manager in the Los Angeles area. Still, he loves his Ducks and goes to local high school games all over the Los Angeles and Orange County area to check out new recruits of the future (and a SoFi game or two with the pros). On any given Saturday, expect to find him doing martial arts, playing the guitar, or screaming at the tv over a missed holding penalty.