With the 152nd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions selected Offensive Tackle Colby Sorsdal. Sorsdal played five years of his college career at William & Mary.
Key Points:
- The Detroit Lions selected Colby Sorsdal with the 152nd overall pick.
- Campbell played five seasons with William and Mary.
Colby Sorsdal: Getting to Know the Detroit Lions No. 152 Pick
Sorsdal played in 45 games at William & Mary. In 2021 he was part of an offensive line that allowed only one sack per game with ranked eighth nationally. Last year he finished as an All-American First Team selection by the Associate Press, the AFCA, Walter Camp, Athlon Sports, and HERO Sports. He won second-team All-American honors from Stats Perform and Phil Steel Magazine. He was also an All-CAA First Team. He helped William & Mary rush for 265.8 yards a game and the fewest sacks allowed per game with 0.77.
Scouting Report
Via Ryan Vidales:
Colby Sorsdal is a Right Tackle with an intriguing athletic upside, high-level toughness, strong technique, and sharp mental instincts.
Sorsdal has exceptional initial foot and body quickness at the line of scrimmage, which allows him to beat defenders to a spot and establish a leverage advantage as soon as the ball is snapped. Complemented by an explosive lower half and fluid hip flexibility, Sorsdal fires out of his stance and unlocks his hips well to roll through defenders upon initial contact. Sorsdal is a highly-skilled in-line blocker who understands the importance of using angles to seal off defenders and open up running lanes for the offense. Sorsdal has consistent hat placement, which enables him to target a defender’s inside/outside shoulder to create opportunities for explosive plays in the run game. Sorsdal operates with a road grader’s mentality, providing him with the toughness, intensity, and mean streak necessary to be an impactful run-blocking tackle at the next level.
Sorsdal’s foot/body quickness is not only visible in the run game; Sorsdal possesses great short and long-range lateral mobility in his pass set, which forces defenders to think twice about running the arc when matched-up against him. Sorsdal also has a firm, wide base in his pass set, enabling him to anchor against the bull rush against powerful EDGE defenders. Additionally, Sorsdal’s 33-inch arms give him enough length to get his hands on pass rushers early and often. Sorsdal does have some deficiencies in his pass-blocking technique that could use some sharpening at the next level; He sometimes struggles to find consistency with his hand placement and does not always re-anchor efficiently after countering a defender’s initial move. Despite some flaws in his pass-blocking technique, Sorsdal is an intelligent, instinctual offensive tackle with great spatial awareness and the ability to adjust to stunts and twists from incoming pass rushers.
At 6-foot-5, 305 pounds, Sorsdal is slightly undersized from a weight perspective for the offensive tackle position. Although Sorsdal boasts impressive hip flexibility, his ankle/bend and arm length warrant some concerns about his overall leverage and ability to play the position at the highest level possible. On the bright side, Sorsdal physical measurements make him a prime candidate to slide over to the offensive guard position, providing him with some valuable position and scheme versatility.
Coming from an FCS program, some NFL scouts might knock Sorsdal for playing against lower-level competition compared to other offensive tackle prospects from FBS schools. However, Sorsdal is not your average FCS offensive lineman; He was a five-year starter for William & Mary who improved every year of his college career and established himself as an FCS All-American in his final year with the program. Sorsdal flew under the radar for too long during the draft process and should be selected in the middle rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Bottom Line
The Lions added some depth to their offensive line. The Lions will enter this season with one of the best offensive lines in the league and this pick will help stabilize. Based on his stats from William & Mary Sorsdal is a fantastic run blocker and that will help the Lions with their new running backs.
