NCAA Scouting – Player Profile: William Beatty, OT, Connecticut by Jody Jamieson 23/2/2009
The more film I see of William Beatty, the more I love his ability. I wasn’t hugely high on him until the Senior Bowl when he was one of the very few tackles who looked dominant in one on one drills. The one on ones in Mobile give the defensive players more of an advantage than they really get on gameday. Beatty looked dominant and comfortable with everything thrown at him and it was impressive. The youtube video shows some of the best of him in the 2009 International Bowl against Buffalo, so I had to check out the full game. Beatty amazed me so much to the point that it was tough to rank him behind the consensus top 4 tackle prospects. Ultimately when you weigh it up against Monroe, Oher and the two Smiths you can’t have him above the others in terms of raw ability, but after Andre Smith’s Indianapolis Incident (is he the first person ever to “fail” the combine?!) Beatty won’t be far behind.
Teams are looking for the left tackle of their future in the Draft. The run on tackles last year bordered on ridiculous, and this year may be exactly the same. Beatty is almost a guaranteed first round pick, and that wouldn’t be a reach. If the Lions go with Matthew Stafford with the first pick, it makes perfect sense to draft Beatty at #20 to protect his blindside. If they go down this route I find it hard to believe they’ll be disappointed. We all know the Lions have drafted horrendously over the past few years for the most part, but the pieces of the puzzle fall beautifully in to place if this is their plan. Of course, all the talk is that the Lions may look at Jason Smith or Aaron Curry with the first pick, so you never know! Still, Beatty really emerged in his Senior year and will end up being a fixture at left tackle in the NFL for a long time providing all goes well.
What we like about Beatty
Intense competitive spirit with the desire to be great, William Beatty is one guy you trust to get the absolute best out of his abilities. Excellent lateral movement and doesn’t get beat round the edge. Good run blocker and excels in space. Great work rate, and doesn’t stop going until he hears the whistle. Had some great performances against some of the top defensive ends in college. Earned varsity letters in track at high school, which is very rare for a lineman.
Question marks about Beatty
A little susceptible to the bull rush and needs to learn to plant more consistently when coming up against big rushers. Could be a one year wonder as he didn’t start every game in a season till his senior year. May take too many penalties in the pros.
Highlight of his college career
Beatty’s prowess in the running game helped Donald Brown become the top rusher in the nation, going over 2,000 yards in 2008.
Other snippets
6′ 6″ tall and weighed in at 307 lbs at the Combine. At the combine he ran a 5.12 40, Had a 33.5 inch vertical jump and an 8′ 11″ broad jump. Beatty is more of a finesse blocker, leading people to believe he’ll be best suited to zone blocking. I can’t see him going before the Lions, but if they pass on Beatty, Philadelphia will almost certainly take him.
NCAA Scouting – Player Profile:
Teams are looking for the left tackle of their future in the Draft. The run on tackles last year bordered on ridiculous, and this year may be exactly the same. Beatty is almost a guaranteed first round pick, and that wouldn’t be a reach. If the Lions go with Matthew Stafford with the first pick, it makes perfect sense to draft Beatty at #20 to protect his blindside. If they go down this route I find it hard to believe they’ll be disappointed. We all know the Lions have drafted horrendously over the past few years for the most part, but the pieces of the puzzle fall beautifully in to place if this is their plan. Of course, all the talk is that the Lions may look at Jason Smith or Aaron Curry with the first pick, so you never know! Still, Beatty really emerged in his Senior year and will end up being a fixture at left tackle in the NFL for a long time providing all goes well.
