Tyler Guyton ‘Disappointing 2023 Game Film’

I had high hopes for Oklahoma right tackle Tyler Guyton based on what I had seen of him on his 2022 game film, but my high hopes were quickly dashed watching him this past season.

You never stay the same. You either get better, or you get worse.

– Bill Parcells

How true ⎯how true. I was hired in the Pro Scouting Department under the leadership and direction of Parcells at the Jets, and I often reflect on him and his wisdom. I find myself doing it again with Guyton. This is one of the main reasons I started looking at game film for two or three college seasons with prospects instead of just a few games in the season before they are drafted. I want to gain and provide a broader perspective into a prospect’s ‘full body of work.’

I had a second-round grade on Guyton heading into this past season and that’s the reason I circled back to him off the 2023 film and used what precious time I have left before the draft to see where he fits on my draft board. It was alarming how different he looked.

What happened?

Guyton looked slower and less motivated.

A few plays confirmed it too ⎯when suddenly he came alive on tape (Iowa State). Overall, it looked like he was fighting defenders more and blocking them less. He seemed a lot more frustrated. His technique looked sloppy.

He didn’t look like he was in control of a lot of his blocks.

Sure, he used his natural size and strength to control blockers sometimes out of sheer mass, but he either lost or was on the verge of losing far too many pass and run blocks for my tastes.

The only thing that can change my mind dramatically about a prospect ⎯for better or for worse is game film.

In 2022, I saw an upside that I didn’t see in 2023.

What is everyone else saying about Guyton?

I was surprised over 45% of other draft platforms see Guyton as a first-round talent.

CBS, 33rd Team, Pro Football Focus, NBC Sports, Draftwire, Draft Kings, USA Today, Fox Sports, The Athletic, Walter Football, Yahoo Sports, NFL.com, SB Nation, Sporting News, Dallas Morning News, Barstool Sports, and LA Times have all tagged Guyton ‘first-round,’ since March 1 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com).

I don’t get that.

The BIG concern

His footwork and lateral foot speed ⎯that’s the big one.

Guyton gets too much upper body into his blocks at the point of attack, leaving him susceptible to losing balance and leverage. He ‘ambulance chases’ too much. In other words, he’s chasing edge rushers too often, instead of allowing the blocks to come to him and focusing on sliding out to naturally protect the back door (back edge) of the pocket.

Traces of what I am sharing show up in the numbers from Pro Football Focus. In 2022, Guyton surrendered two sacks, zero quarterback hits, and two hurries. In 2023, he gave up zero sacks, three hits, and nine hurries. The number to target is the dramatic increase in hurries given up.

He depends too much on his natural strength and not nearly enough upon technique. He got by doing that in college ball, but that will not fly in the NFL.

#60 Tyler Guyton 6-foot-7, 327 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s 2024 NFL Draft Grade: Fourth-Round (I wouldn’t select him)

Projected by 48.0% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of March 21, 2024 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

Tyler Guyton: Aggressive and Athletic (4 games evaluated)

2023 game film reviewed: Texas, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, and SMU (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Agile athletic big man with a sputtering motor and an aggressive nature. Sluggish brawler. Sets up initially in pass pro with long arms and handles the shallow depth of the pocket. Methodical. Nimble. Equally distributed mass. Too much of a doorman. Tends to waist bend. Pushes, shoves, and gives up too easily on run blocks. Struggles to sustain. Leverage blocker. Hit and miss in space, but when he connects, he hammers people. Can get out in space. Many times ended up out there and didn’t end up blocking anyone.

Final words

The game film doesn’t lie.

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, contributes at Yardbarker, and has written for Sports Illustrated Lions, Jets, and 49ers, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. Follow on Twitter @firstroundmock.