[2022 Draft/6-205] Austin Deculus, OT, LSU

21. AUSTIN DECULUS | LSU 6050 | 321 lbs. | rSR. Mamou, La. (Cy-Fair) 3/12/1999 (age 23.13) #76

BACKGROUND: Austin Deculus was born in Mamou, La. (his father’s hometown deep in Cajun country), but grew up in Cypress, Texas, a northwest suburb of Houston. He attended Cy-Fair High School where he earned the starting left tackle job on varsity as a 235-pound sophomore and earned First Team All-District honors. After being named All-District again as a junior, Deculus led Cy-Fair to an 8-3 record and a playoff appearance as a senior, taking home Honorable Mention All-State and Under Armour All-American honors.

A four-star offensive tackle recruit out of high school, Deculus was the No. 10 offensive tackle in the 2017 recruiting class and the No. 7 recruit in the state of Texas (the No. 2 offensive lineman behind Walker Little). With over 30 scholarship offers, he entertained the possibility of attending Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame and other powerhouse programs. But in the end, Deculus wanted to return to his Louisiana roots and signed with Ed Orgeron and the Tigers. He took advantage of the extra year of eligibility and returned to Baton Rouge for his fifth season in 2021. His older brother (Ryan) played linebacker at Division III Howard Payne University (2013-14). Deculus graduated with his degree in sports administration (December 2020). He accepted his invitation to the 2022 East-West Shrine Bowl.

STRENGTHS: Owns a workable frame with functional length ... plays with adequate core strength to match physical defenders ... his initial punch is stiff, efficient and purposeful ... resets his hands for multiple bites of the apple ... uses his length to slow down and ride speed rushers outside the pocket ... his base width stays consistent throughout the rep ... adds some hot sauce to his down blocks ... routinely proves his toughness via his willingness to play through injuries ... set the LSU record for games played (61) and started 47 games over the last four seasons.

WEAKNESSES: Plays too upright and struggles to bend ... average shuffle quickness when attempting to gain depth in his slide ... hip tightness leaves him off balance in space ... moving targets give him trouble, and he can be too easily crossed up by inside counters ... grabby hands as he tries to work his lower body into position ... his strike placement is too erratic for a player with his experience ... doesn’t have the play strength to respond if his posture isn’t on point ... aside from one start at left tackle as a sophomore against an FCS program, 100 percent of his snaps in his other 60 games came at right tackle ... NFL scouts say he was beat up physically over his college career.

SUMMARY: A four-year starter at LSU, Deculus was a constant at right tackle in former offensive coordinator Jake Peetz’s spread scheme (zone and gap). After starting three years at left tackle in high school, he kicked over to right tackle where he logged over 3,300 offensive snaps, becoming the first player in LSU history to play in 60 career games. Deculus checks boxes for his size and arm length, and his technique showed important maturation as a super-senior as his sacks allowed went from four in 2020 to zero in 2021. However, his stiff knees and lack of lower-body flexibility create pad level and balance issues as he lacks the lateral quickness to match speed. Overall, Deculus has played a lot of football and has functional length and handwork, but his ceiling is likely capped by average athleticism, which will be tough to mask versus NFL pass rushers. He is a potential NFL backup at right tackle.

GRADE: Priority Free Agent