Kiran Amegadjie scouting report: Exploring the Yale OT's strengths and weaknesses

Seeing very little attention from the recruiting services in 2020 (OT 284 by 24/7 Sports), Kiran Amegadjie started his career at Hinsdale Central (Illinois). He transferred to Yale in 2021, where he started four games at right guard initially and then 10 each these past two seasons at left tackle, earning first-team All-Ivy League accolades in each of them.

Details: 6-foot-5, 320 pounds; SR.

Breaking down Kiran Amegadjie's scouting report

Strengths

Run-blocking

Kiran Amegadjie's arms measured in at an eighth of an inch over 36 for a condor-like wingspan of 85-and-½ inches.
Plays with good flexion in his lower body to activate those powerful quads and drives his legs through contact to widen the edge in the run game.
Frequently blows B-gap defenders off their landmarks on down-blocks in significant fashion.
Brings an explosive first step to execute cut-off blocks and get his big frame in the way of backside defenders.
Showcases great urgency out of his stance and is able to fly up to the second level before linebackers can read their keys in the run game often times – You’ll see him put some of those 220-230 pound backers on skates or toss them over for hilarious moments on tape.
Capable of applying plenty of force to the shoulder or under the arm-pit of defenders in tight quarters without having room to really build up.
Showcases highly impressive dexterity to sustain blocks at weird angles and not slip off guys as he’s transferring force.
Will take advantage of pushing guys down or riding them off the screen when he catches them on the wrong foot and they don’t want any of that business.

Pass-protection

Consistently able to establish first meaningful contact with his hands in the passing game.
Dancing bear on the edge, who made it look easy mirroring the lateral movement of Ivy League defenders trying to find escape routes against him.
Keeps his palms up and grabs cloth to lock up defenders in protection, at times clutching their shoulder plates.
Uses a wide base and good bend in his knees to protect against power rushers.
Disciplined with keeping his hands low and not causing holds as defenders try to dip underneath or counter inside against him, to stay in control of the rep.
There are flashes of being able to use his hands in alternate fashion and those branches attached to his shoulders are a definite plus for passing off rushers crossing his face.
Gets a hand on slot blitzers trying to circle around him in order to push them off track.
You clearly see a difference in terms of god-given ability between Kiran Amegadjie and the guys trying to get around/past him, which frequently ends with them sort of quitting later on in games since it appears like an impossible task.
Has some nasty to him, where he’ll jump on top of guys who lost their balance, to not allow them to get back up.

Weaknesses

Kiran Amegadjie doesn’t always center his blocks in the run game appropriately and you’ll see his inside leg come off the ground on the front side, which savvier edge defenders will be able to take advantage of more regularly (with back doors).
Still very raw with his footwork, not only lifting up but almost leading the movement on his kick-sets with the inside foot, along with being able over the place with wide and narrow his cleats get, making him more vulnerable to having his inside half being attacked with force and counters.
His hands routinely come in wide and he ends up sort of hugging the pads/shoulders of edge rushers.
Got by in large part based on superior athletic traits and we have no indication of how he’ll fare against better competition since he couldn’t participate during Senior Bowl week.

Kiran Amegadjie's 2024 NFL Draft projection

When Kiran Amegadjie first popped up on consensus rankings and I realized he received a Senior Bowl invite, I was skeptical, especially since NFL scouts fall in love with these athletic projects from small programs. So when I put on the tape on guys like that, I don’t want to just see flashes but rather them truly dominating the competition, and this kid clearly did.

He definitely has work to do when it comes to centering his blocks in the run game, cleaning up his kick-sets and general hand placement as he transitions to the pros. However, it was plenty good enough to make defenders in the Ivy League look like they shouldn’t be on the field together.

Kiran Amegadjie earned an 82.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus in 2023, with both run- and pass-blocking above 79, allowing only five pressures all year long (no sacks or QB hits). It’s a shame we didn’t get to see him compete against guys he will face in the NFL next year down in Mobile and you’re not drafting him with the intention of being in the starting lineup on day one.

That said, if you have the resources to shelf him for a year with a quality O-line coach, he has the tools to absolutely develop into a high-end starter down the road.

Kiran Amegadjie Grade: Early third round.

You might like other OT scouting reports: Amarius Mims; Taliese Fuaga; Joe Alt; J.C. Latham.