Dylan Fairchild, IOL, Georgia
Size:
Height: 6052
Weight: 318
Arm: 33”
Hand: 10”
Accomplishments:
Four-star recruit
“Dylan Fairchild has ideal size and play strength to be a productive IOL in a primarily power/gap offensive scheme.”
Strengths:
Power/strength at the line of scrimmage
Strong hands
Size/overall mass
Potential for position versatility
High-motor/violent temperament
Concerns:
Over-aggressive
Bending at waist
Hand placement leads to holding calls
Film Analysis:
Dylan Fairchild is the starting LG for the Georgia Bulldogs offense, a unit that ranked first in the SEC. Fairchild is a powerful offensive lineman who helps set the tone of this offensive line as being a physically relentless unit. Fairchild uses both his overall mass and his strength to be a productive player as both a run blocker and in pass protection.
As a run blocker, Fairchild comes off the ball at the snap with a physical temperament and is very intentional about moving defenders off the line of scrimmage. Fairchild does a good job of making initial contact and when he has the proper hand placement, he will drive his feet to continue to get movement on the line of scrimmage. On duo blocks, Fairchild appears to be a good athlete and can effectively get to the second level and make contact with second-level defenders. Fairchild has adequate arm length to force defenders around him, which also makes him effective working to the second level. Fairchild also has the athletic profile to be an effective puller and lead blocker on gap/power plays.
In pass protection, Fairchild utilizes varying athletic tools depending on the situation. When dealing with rushers who use power, Fairchild can activate his power and sink his hips, sit down, and anchor to prevent rushers from continuing to penetrate. When dealing with speed rushers, Fairchild shows to have the lateral and reactionary athleticism to stay in front of pass rushers. Fairchild also appears to have strong, powerful punches to slow rushers and can punch, reset, and continue to counter-punch to win the rep.
As a pass protector, Fairchild has underrated lateral agility. Combined with his strength, this allows him to cover ground but also anchor against power rushers.
Fairchild’s improvement as a player primarily centered around his ability to manage his aggressiveness, which is tied to his balance and body control. Fairchild becomes too aggressive on plays and will lunge at defenders who initiate contact, giving him bad balance and he will fail to sustain the block. Fairchild needs to improve his patience allowing the defender to get closer and then maintaining a good base to execute the block. Balance and body control are a key element for Fairchild to improve because they’ll eliminate a percentage of his bad plays and improve his overall reliability as a starter
Overall, Fairchild appears to have a clear path to developing into a reliable starter in a gap/power scheme and with the right development could evolve into a high-level player for an offensive line unit.
Prospect Projection: Day 3 — Developmental Traits
Written By: Keith Sanchez
