Alex
Leatherwood.
Alex
Leatherwood.
Alabama· 6'5"· 312 lb· 4.96s 40
"A three-year Alabama starter with the wingspan of a tackle and the punch of a guard. The position the pro side lands on will decide whether this is a plug-and-play starter or a developmental swing."Pre-draft read
He aligns as a tackle, operating with a wide base and functional athleticism. His primary strength is as a front-side drive-blocker in gap-scheme run plays, demonstrating a guard-like anchor when the point of attack is set. He engages down blocks and reach blocks with precision in terms of angles and hand placement, making him suitable for outside-zone and split-zone schemes.
Conversely, his technique shows inconsistent hand placement on deep sets, often resulting in a slow reset when his initial hand placement misses. His lateral footwork can be a limitation when he is forced to mirror speed rushers, sometimes leading to a loss of leverage.
This prospect best fits a gap/duo power run game scheme that prioritizes strength at the point of attack and ground-game dominance.
He projects as a Year 1 starter at right tackle or guard, with a ceiling as a multi-year interior line starter.
He would struggle in a purely pass-heavy Air Raid offense, where his pass-blocking inconsistencies on the edge would be frequently exposed.
With his functional athleticism and drive-blocking prowess, he offers scheme versatility across the offensive line, particularly in run-first systems.
Alex Leatherwood — Highlight Film — 2020 Outland Trophy Finalist
Alex Leatherwood — Alabama Crimson Tide — NFL Draft profile
Film Study: what happened to Alex Leatherwood?
This tackle prospect projects as a potential right tackle or guard, offering versatility with a broad scheme fit at the NFL level. His physical make-up, including his 5.04 forty-yard dash and 7.90 three-cone, supports Day-1 offensive line capital, backing up his tape with a complete athletic profile for the position.
He was a four-year contributor at Alabama, with three full SEC seasons across left guard and left tackle, facing first-round edge talent. In 2020, he played left tackle and earned the Outland Trophy and first-team All-SEC. However, the Alabama offense, featuring a Heisman-caliber receiving corps and a quick-game passing scheme, provided a cushion that evaluators noted in projecting his pass protection to the NFL.
Evaluators were divided on his best professional position, suggesting both right tackle and guard, a factor that often signifies a scheme-and-role dependency rather than a locked-in tackle projection. This positional split, combined with concerns about his pass protection anchor and lateral burst, positioned him in the 30-45 range on consensus boards despite his college accolades. He was drafted at pick 17, which surprised the market.
- 01
2020 Outland Trophy
Awarded the 2020 Outland Trophy for best interior lineman, showcasing his high-level collegiate performance.
- 02
Extensive Experience
Three-year starter at Alabama, gaining extensive experience at left guard and left tackle in the SEC.
- 03
Positional Versatility
Played both left guard and left tackle, projecting to right tackle or guard with scheme flexibility.
- 04
Athletic Profile
Recorded a 5.04 forty-yard dash and 7.90 three-cone, supporting his athletic profile for the position.
- 05
Run Blocking Skills
Effective in zone-scheme run blocking, executing down blocks and reach blocks with precision.
- 01
Positional Uncertainty
Evaluators were divided on his ideal professional position (RT/G), suggesting scheme dependency.
- 02
Inconsistent Anchor
Pass protection anchor showed inconsistency, with hands rising and pads high against bull rushes.
- 03
Lateral Footwork
Inconsistent hand placement on deep sets and slow reset after initial miss, leading to lost leverage.
- 04
Scheme Dependency
Alabama's quick-game passing scheme provided a cushion, raising questions about his pass protection translation.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.96sp50
- Vertical
- 34.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 118inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Alabama | 7 |
| 2018 | Alabama | 15 |
| 2019 | Alabama | 13 |
| 2020 | Alabama | 13 |
| Career | — | 48 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
High-draft lineman whose best NFL path may come after moving inside, where length and strength can cover the movement limits.
Long, experienced tackle who smooths out the footwork enough to become a quality starter after some early turbulence.
Prototype body with enough flashes to keep getting chances, but inconsistency and availability could cap the return.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
2021 (rookie, LVR): 15 starts, moved between RT and RG five times, PFF grade 44.5 — one of the worst starting OT grades in football. 2022 (LVR): cut before the season by the McDaniels/Ziegler regime. Chicago claimed him on waivers — 8 RG games, 55 PFF grade, not re-signed. 2023-2024: out of the NFL, no roster. 2025: no team, career effectively over. Career_av: 5.
Leatherwood is the clean case study of the 2021 class on the gap between college production and NFL projection. He won the 2020 Outland Trophy and first-team All-SEC playing LT on the best offensive roster in the sport — DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, Najee Harris, Landon Dickerson next to him, Mac Jones at QB with top-tier pre-snap processing. In that context Leatherwood's production was real: the nominal LT on the national title Alabama won by dismantling Ohio State.
But when you isolate the tape rep by rep the evaluation breaks. Deep set with slow hand reset. Lateral footwork that lost reps to mid-tier Pac-12 edges when Alabama played USC. Inconsistent hand technique where the first hand arrived late and there was no recovery. Middling pro day: 5.09 forty, 8.31 three-cone, 25" vertical — bottom-half athletic profile for tackle prospects. The consensus board had him in the 30-45 range projecting to RT or guard. Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden took him at #17, and that call — plus the full LV draft package in 2021 — cost Mayock his career.
Why the evaluation failed so quickly is organizational and individual. As a 2021 rookie they moved him to RT, then to RG three weeks in, then back to RT — five position changes in a season. He finished with a PFF grade of 44.5, one of the worst in football for a starting OT. In 2022 with Josh McDaniels as HC and Dave Ziegler pulling Mayock off the roster, they cut him before the season opener — a top-17 pick cut in year two, historically rare. Chicago claimed him on waivers, he played 8 games at RG with a 55 PFF grade, and he was not re-signed. By 2024 he was out of the NFL.
The likely comp was always Ereck Flowers post-Giants: a failed top-10 tackle who found a functional guard role before fading out. The low comp — Ja'Wuan James pure bust arc — is what happened. It's one of the fastest-failing evaluations in modern history, part LV reach and part player who never stabilized at a viable NFL position. A useful reminder that winning the Outland at Alabama is not an NFL projection without isolated tape to back it up.