Cordell Volson NFL Draft 2022: Scouting Report for Cincinnati Bengals’ IOL

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HEIGHT: 6’6 1/8″

WEIGHT: 315

HAND: 10 1/2″

ARM: 33 7/8″

WINGSPAN: 6’9 1/8″

40-YARD DASH: 5.27

3-CONE: 8.31

SHUTTLE: 4.93

VERTICAL: 25″

BROAD: 8’8″

POSITIVES

— Plays with a wide, strong base and has good stopping power at the point of attack in the run game and when anchoring.

— Has a stiff, heavy strike that creates jolt on contact, with the length to keep rushers at his fingertips.

— Efficiently passes off and picks up stunts with the alertness to identify late loopers.

— Does a solid job on down blocks, squaring up, pinning and securing his man.

— Proficient on double-teams, effectively locating the hip to bump and feed defenders over with an effective same-foot, same-shoulder technique to create lift and vertical displacement.

— Runs his feet consistently through the whistle with good grip strength to drive defenders further than they want to go with a finisher’s mentality.

NEGATIVES

— Below-average athletic ability, lateral quickness and ability to redirect with heavy feet and an upright, straight-legged playing style.

— Lacks the necessary range and foot quickness to protect the corner at tackle against wide rush angles.

— Struggles to recover and stay attached when initially beaten to prevent shifty defenders from slipping by for clean wins when isolated in pass protection and on gap exchanges.

— Hit and miss snap timing results in him being tardy out of his stance a few times a game.

— Pads rise and base tends to narrow in the ‘drive’ portion of base and angle-drive blocks, leaving him vulnerable to losing control late in the rep.

— Steps in the bucket on attempted backside cut-offs, limiting his ability to prevent penetration.

2021 STATISTICS

– 15 starts at right tackle.

– First team All-MVFC selection.

– Team captain.

NOTES

— Former 2-star offensive line prospect out of Anamoose high school in North Dakota.

— Played nine-man football in high school and saw time at seven positions, including both line’s, tight end, fullback, kicker and punter, blocking 14 punts in the process. He was an all-district performer in basketball, averaging 21 points and 15 rebounds per game.

— Appeared in 65 games with 41 consecutive starts to end his career primarily at right tackle (31/41 starts). He also had starts at left tackle and right guard with appearances at left guard.

— Invited and accepted an invite to the 2022 Shrine Bowl in Las Vegas, Nevada.

OVERALL

Volson is a three-year starter who ended his career with 41 consecutive starts primarily at right tackle inside North Dakota State’s gap-heavy run scheme centered around ‘A’ gap power with zone concepts (pin-pull) mixed in. Volson kicked inside to right guard mid-game in each game that I studied in 2021, with extensive time spent filling in across the line throughout his career. He has a thick build, high-cut frame with good arm length and marginal athletic ability.

Volson excels using his large frame, thick build, wide base and above-average play strength to create alleys and movement as a run-blocker on down blocks and double-teams. He uses stiff, powerful hands to get inside the frame of defenders to press and uproot them at the point of attack, with the competitive toughness to finish blocks consistently. Volson creates jolt on contact when striking, effectively uses his length to keep rushers at his fingertips, and can clench and anchor quickly against tight rush alignments. He’s also a quick processor who can pick up and pass up basic stunts and line games with the alertness to identify late loopers.

Volson has marginal athletic ability and movement skills with a straight-legged, upright playing style and heavy feet. This limits his ability to redirect and mirror skilled rushers, protect his edges and recover from compromising positions. Volson was able to get away with these issues a lot of the time on tape because of his size and strength, but he will need to play with pristine technique and better leverage to stick as a pro.

Overall, Volson offers good size, strength, smarts and competitive toughness to compete for a job as a swing interior backup, but his athletic limitations narrow his scheme versatility and diminish his ability to handle the quickness of NFL rushers.

GRADE: 5.7 (Backup/Draftable – 6th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 262

POSITION RANK: IOL29

PRO COMPARISON: David Yankey

Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn