Colts selected BYU OL Blake Freeland with the No. 106 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Freeland was a four-year starter for BYU, starting 15 games at right tackle to begin his career in Provo and finishing his last 26 games at left tackle. He earned All-Independent 1st team honors from multiple outlets for his performances in 2021 and 2022. PFF graded him as the 2nd-best OT in the country in 2022. This produced an invitation to the Senior Bowl. Unlike many BYU players, and more broadly those from the LDS tradition, Freeland comes into the NFL at a normal age as he did not serve on a two-year mission. He dominated in both phases during his collegiate career, recording a 90.7 PFF pass block grade and an 87.9 run block grade, albeit against mid to low levels of competition. The hope is that the fundamentals that he demonstrates at those levels provide the basis for his transition to the professional standard. The long OT has a lot of room to add mass to his frame. At his current dimensions, he lacks a sufficient anchor and doesn’t have the strength to be a proficient contributor in the run game. That being said, it’s easy to see why scouts fell in love with Freeland’s potential at the Combine and BYU pro day. He posted verifiably elite testing numbers across the board, recording 95th percentile+ running splits, 99th% jumps, and an absurd 9.89 RAS.
