Who is Terry Poole?

The Seattle Seahawks waited until the end of the fourth round of the NFL draft before addressing their biggest need. Their already-bad offensive line had lost two starters, which left a gaping hole that had to be filled. That is a lot of pressure to put on a youngster like Terry Poole out of San Diego State University.

Poole was junior college transfer to joined that Aztecs in 2013 and instantly became their starting right tackle. He moved over to left tackle in 2014, and now will move inside to LG with the Seahawks.

What They Said

Poole played offensive tackle in college even though he’ll be a guard in the NFL. Draft analysts graded him as a OT, and thus they weren’t particularly high on him. Poole lacks the lateral quickness necessary to play OT at the next level, but that shouldn’t be an issue on the inside.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com:

"Good hand placement in run game. Is able to effort his way to run-block security. Has limitations, but plays within those limitations and shows good body control. Adequate pass pro posture with head back and hands ready. Has hip flexibility to make last-second recovery. Gives good, honest effort every snap."

Bo Marchionte of CBS Sports:

"He is a big, strong and has plenty of girth. Poole played both the left and right tackle with success. He proved himself capable of learning and adapting with success to both a new position and offensive scheme. He displays decent speed and feet. Poole has the power and speed to get movement in his run blocks. He demonstrated at the East-West Shrine Game he has the feet to play right tackle or guard. He also showed his ability to deliver a jarring hand punch during his time in St. Petersburg under the watch of NFL Scouts."

Sports Illustrated:

"Poole may not be a great athlete, but his positioning is solid and he has the ability to move well side to side. He didn’t get beat often, but he was able to recover due to his awareness and footwork. Poole will have to deal with much stronger, quicker defenders in the NFL, which leaves him prone to being beaten off the edge playing on the outside."

What I See

While Poole isn’t a mauler-type as a run blocker, he is technically sound. He keeps his pad level low and doesn’t let the defender get in on his body. He also shows great ability to redirect his defender wide and create lateral movement, which is perfect for Seattle’s zone blocking scheme.

You can see those traits on the play below, where they outside zone for a nice gain.

As a pass blocker, it is much more difficult to project what Poole will play like in the NFL. Pass blocking as an OT is very different than pass blocking on the interior. The best examples of what Poole’s pass blocking will be like as an OG come on play-action plays like the one below.

Poole uses his hands well to jolt the defender and stop their forward progress. He also does a great job of keeping his feet moving while maintaining his pad level and not giving up ground.

Overall Thoughts

Poole appears to be the anti-J.R Sweezy. Sweezy is all athleticism and uses frustratingly-little technique at times. Poole is only an average athlete for and NFL guard, but he has great technique overall.

This will allow Poole to transition quickly into Seattle’s offense. It is also the reason why Poole, and not fellow draft pick Mark Glowinski has the inside track for the starting LG job. While Glow has the much higher ceiling, Poole is much more likely to be ready to start by the time Week 1 arrives.

Next: Who is Frank Clark?

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