Closing Out the 2018 OL Class: Commitment Analysis of Cindric and Mello

Prepare for trouble.

And make it double.

The Bears closed out their 2018 offensive line class in Nor-Cal and Washington style, by picking up Matthew Cindric and Brandon Mello previously. Save for a possible JUCO to replace Daniel Juarez, there will be no more additions at this position group in 2018 which means we can now stack them up against some of the groups we’ve seen before.

Below is the data from our last seven recruiting classes at offensive line, including transition years between coaches. You will find a mix of career backups, a shade too many medical retirements, and some good – but not pro-level – long time starters among them.

All in all, the depth here is still kind of lacking, especially after Juarez took a medical this week, which is why five guys was almost always a certainty for ’18.

All the data below is taken from Rivals:

As it stands, the 2013 class is probably the best one so far, since there’s two long-time starters in there with Borrayo and Cochran, with 2015 possibly pushing if Uluave sticks at RG, since Mekari’s already a gem for them, considering how late he came in the cycle. Still, in terms of on paper talent, the 2018 bunch is a deep, deep group with, for once, a proven molder of talent to shape them forward:

Will Craig, we’ve already written some about, but this program hasn’t had a guy that highly rated since Freddie Tagaloa, who struggled somewhat with the transition under Dykes and eventually transferred. Regardless, stars – and the raw material they represent – do matter, and getting Craig locked down from Northern California sends a big message. Not a bad consolation prize after Tommy Brown.

Jasper Friis, I’ve already expressed some early hesitance on, since he is a development take, which is now a luxury the staff can afford with a completed class. Owens and Craig will be tested earlier for playing time, while Friis and Cindric complete body transformations

And Miles Owens, from Cal’s own backyard has a lot of flexibility himself, slotting in at both guard and tackle for Bishop O’Dowd. His tape isn’t much yet, but it’s notable that they show him pass blocking at all, which is extremely uncommon.

For the record, Trace and I expect Cindric and Owens to move to the interior, with gargantuan, raw gem Friis for sure on the outside. Craig might go either way, at 6’5, and Mello too.

Now, onto Mello and Cindric.

Cindric is small and will have to put on some weight over the next few years, but based on the tape, he should be plenty mobile enough, and definitely hard-nosed enough to play inside – he’s gotta be, if he’s going to dominate HS linemen at only 260 pounds

Of note:

:41 – Pull, get low against a bigger guy, fight like hell, drive, and win.

:45 – Burst – his burst is better shown on defense than it is on offense -- off the ball and doesn’t let go on RPO

1:06 – solo block vs the 3-tech, this play shows the confidence they have in Cindric and the strength he has even at a small size. Sammamish puts the double team on the 1-tech DT and lets him clear out the rest of the space on his own in short yardage, and he does admirably matched up mano-y-mano.

3:11 – on inside zone, he trips, recovers, and still finds work at the second level.

3:18 – poor defensive end. Lower pad level wins for Cindric.

There are a lot more plays than this, but the common themes throughout show that he’s strong at his current size, more than mobile enough, and physical, too – all ideal traits for Greatwood and the offense, which doesn’t want too much bulk anyway. Given some time to develop, he looks pretty good. Moves well.

Mello, on the other hand, is a marvel thanks to those arms. He has a ton of clips pass blocking, and shows good mobility in both run and pass phases – at 2:11, he mirrors the rusher and then carries him safely out of the rushing lane to protect the QB; -- but like Jake Curhan, it’s those arms that make him an ideal tackle candidate, when our program has lacked them for so long. Arms, when latched on and extended, keep rushers at bay for crucial milliseconds, creating space and daylight.

If there are a couple things to watch for with Mello, it’s that he could stand to get more physically dominant and explosive in the run aspect, but for simplicity’s sake, think of him like Curhan for right now.

Also of note: Brandon Mello plays special teams. No, really, he plays special teams. There’s Mello returning a kick with a full head of steam on the first play.