Pass Blocking

As important as run blocking is in the NFL, substandard run blockers can be hidden somewhat by scheme without having to sacrifice significantly. However, substandard pass protectors can completely derail an offense, especially at the tackle position where it is harder to help without having to make scheme changes. For tackles, pass protection starts with the slide, the ability to mirror rushers around the edge, and Moton does show the lateral agility required to do this at the NFL level:

 

However, the slide is about more than just speed, and as with run blocking, control is also hugely important. Moton showed two issues with this on tape, the first is that as he turns the corner he had a tendency to close his hips and over-cross his feet, raising his center of gravity and making it easier for defenders to force him off balance, with the second being his tendency to get overly vertical. On the following plays, he got too vertical and crossed one leg over another – allowing the defender to turn the corner:

 

It also makes it easier on defenders once he does engage, such as on the following play where he made a good initial block but as soon as he started crossing one leg over the other, his momentum is all going in one direction – so when the defender cut back inside, Moton is left completely adrift:

 

Additionally, by getting too vertical, the majority of his leg movement becomes vertical as well, giving his slide a choppy motion that can be seen clearly on the following play:

 

The further knock-on consequence of this is that this slows down his slide, and in order to compensate for this he then over-strides backwards – thereby moving his weight over his back leg, allowing the defender to use this backwards momentum against him and drive him backwards and off-balance, such as on the following plays:

 

Another consequence is that by getting vertical, he raises his center of gravity, making him more susceptible to leaning in general – either forwards or backwards. While the backwards motion of the slide makes leaning backwards, as shown above, more likely, it can also lead to the tackle being caught leaning forwards. On the following play, he gets his weight out over his feet and so the defender’s rip move gets him going forwards and out of control:

 

The final consequence of all this is that in order to recover his balance is that he spreads his arms to steady himself and so not only exposes his frame to the defender but, as with in the run game, makes it harder for him to be effective in the way he uses his hands. This attempt to balance himself can be seen clearly on the following plays:

 

What this means is that, as with the run game, when he makes contact with the defender, it is not with their frame but rather the outside of their shoulders, and so when the defender looks to rip around him all the stress goes through one arm and Moton is unable to sustain the block:

 

While all this might make it seem as if there is a lot wrong with Moton, almost all of this has its roots in his pad level. If he is able to stay low with a wide base during his slide, then a lot of these problems go away. If he doesn’t cross his feet, he keeps his weight over his base and makes it easier for him to keep the defender in front of him. If he stays low during his slide, he makes it harder for defenders to either push him backwards or pull him forwards, it also makes it easier for him to maintain balance, thereby allowing him to keep his arms inside his frame and so make it easier to control his punch which would in turn improve his hand usage in general.

All of this is coachable. That is a lot of ifs, but there is certainly reason to be optimistic, which can be seen in the following clip from training camp:

The first thing to note are his feet, which remain square to the defender and consistently apart, meaning that he is able to keep his body square to the defender as well. Additionally, by remaining low, he is far more balanced in his stance than in the clips from Western Michigan, which in turn allows him to keep his elbows inside his frame and so when Horton looks to swat his arms aside Moton is able to counter quickly and in a controlled way. He does still play with a slight forward lean but this marks a significant improvement over his college tape and the fact that he has made so much progress in just one year is highly promising – if he can continue to build on this then his athletic traits and intelligence are such that he can become a quality starting tackle in the NFL.

“I do feel a lot more experienced,” Moton said to reporters after practice last weekend. “The game’s slowing down for me, I’m feeling a little bit more confident – I’m feeling really confident with wherever they put me – but that’s anyone going from their rookie to their sophomore year, so I’m really excited about the upcoming season; whatever I have to do and wherever I have to go, I’ll be ready.”

Whatever happens, one thing that the Panthers will get out of the Daryl Williams injury is a clearer idea of what they have in Taylor Moton. Moton was a second round draft pick, and the potential that made him one is there on tape and even if he isn’t there yet, any signs of progress should be encouraging. Moton is an unknown in many ways, and his preseason reps should be far more telling than any of his college tape can ever be, but hopefully this article will have drawn attention to the things to watch for in his game as the Panthers move towards the season opener against the Cowboys.

We’ll know a lot more about who Taylor Moton is after next week’s preseason game against the Bills in which he will likely see a lot of reps, but this is a good first chapter.

Vincent Richardson on Twitter
Vincent Richardson
Managing Editor at Riot Report
Fan of zone coverage, knee bend and running backs running routes. Twitter: @vrichardson444