Diego Pounds

● Checks boxes for height, arm length and lean muscle mass ● Smooth 45-degree pass sets to reach proper depth vs. wide speed ● Hand strikes are well-timed and heavy, pushing rushers down the arc ● Dense lower half, with solid anchor to hold his ground ● Keeps head on a swivel — not easily fooled by blitzes ● Flashes power in run game to remove defenders from his gap ● Not a natural leader but likable as a teammate and does what is required ● Durable — played 750-plus offensive snaps each of past three seasons, including more than 1,000 in 2025

● Weight was close to 340 pounds during 2025 spring — needs to stay consistent ● Too easily out-leveraged and stalemated in run game ● Rigid change-of-direction ability, both in space and in confined quarters ● Shaky posture through engagement; doesn’t create consistent torque as a finisher ● Adequate range but needs to develop breakdown vs. moving targets ● Can be set up by savvy rushers across his face, leading to oversets ● Almost 100 percent of snaps (high school and college) came at left tackle

A two-year starter at Ole Miss (and three-year starter overall), Pounds lined up at left tackle in former offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr.’s balanced zone/gap scheme. After only one year of high school football on the offensive line, he spent three seasons at North Carolina before transferring to Ole Miss. He was banged up and didn’t win a job right away in 2024, but he locked down the left tackle position once he broke into the starting lineup. Despite playing 15 games in 2025, Ole Miss led the SEC with the fewest sacks allowed (19) — zero of them attributed to Pounds. As a pass blocker, Pounds takes advantage of his extension to keep rushers off his body and shows a fundamental understanding of spacing and depth. On the flipside, he doesn’t capitalize on his size in the run game. He has access to raw power, but his lower-body fluidity and positional leverage are lacking. Overall, Pounds is a long, dense blocker with play strength who protects the integrity of the pocket, but he will need to be more consistent in the run game to stay on the field. He has the talent to compete for a backup role as a rookie — and, eventually, to outperform his draft spot.