The acclaim has started early for Rockwall (Texas) Heath’s Trevor Elbert, who is already considered a top -5 recruit at offensive tackle by the 247Sports Composite rankings, and a top-20 player in all of Texas.
Trevor Elbert recruit scouting report: High-level offensive tackle
The Rockwall-Heath product is one of the top offensive linemen in the country.
Although it is only February 2014, there is a general consensus about his talent across all the major recruiting services, really -- Rivals has the four-star Elbert slightly lower as the 20th-ranked offensive tackle and 24th in state, but for the most part, all four are largely in agreement about him as a prospect. Most of those 15 Texas players ahead of Elbert on the 247Sports Composite at this point are from other positions -- among actual linemen, Elbert is behind only 5-star tackle Maea Tauhema.
Elbert has drawn early interest from seven programs, all of whom are substantial players in the college football landscape: Alabama, Texas A&M, Auburn, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas Tech.
Fans can follow him on Twitter at @74BIGtrev74.
At 6’5, Elbert has the pure size and athleticism to play outside at the next level, perhaps even left tackle if he can hold up in pass protection. Physically, he’s near an ideal weight to play in college without a need to reshape his body because he’s carrying little to no bad weight, a key for most collegiate tackles.
As with most high school offensive linemen, there’s not much film in pass protection. In fact, Elbert rarely works past the line of scrimmage in his highlights, but in the limited looks at his footwork in pass pro, he has the reactive body quickness and comfort with his kick step to project favorably.
And in the one shot where he gets to the second level, he looks like he moves well on his feet and shows an impressive punch to earn a knockdown.
In short spaces, once Elbert gets his hands on opponents and gets them turned, it’s all over, as he can keep his legs driving to finish plays. In that regard, his hand placement, upper body strength, and bending ability are all impressive and represent elements that make him such a highly-regarded prospect.
