Christian Haynes, IOL UConn: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Haynes was a two-star recruit from Bowie High School in Bowie, Md. in the class of 2018
UConn guard Christian Haynes was impressive against Michigan in 2022. The sixth-year lineman might kick inside to center at the next level. He projects as a mid-day three selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.
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Christian Haynes, IOL UConn: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Sixth-year redshirt senior right guard from Bowie, Md.
Background: Haynes was a two-star recruit from Bowie High School in Bowie, Md. in the class of 2018. He was an unranked two-star recruit for 247Sports and Rivals. Haynes was a three-star recruit and the No. 1,797 recruit for On3.com. He didn’t receive a star ranking or grade out of 100 from ESPN. Haynes started at the varsity level for three seasons in high school. He was a two-time captain and was the team MVP as a senior. Haynes played in the Maryland Crab Bowl, a Mid-Atlantic annual All-Star game. He earned Second Team All-MET honors from the Washington Post and was a First Team All-County and All-League selection. Haynes also lettered in wrestling for one season.
Injuries & Off-Field: No season in 2020 because of COVID-19
Awards: 2022 College Football Network First Team All-Independent, 2022 Third Team All-American (AP), 2022 Second Team All-American (PFF)
Pros: Thick throughout his frame, noticeable upgrade in play strength from 2021 to 2022, doesn’t bend or lean over his knees frequently, anchor to absorb speed to power conversion, difficult to break anchor when hand placement is on point, flashes of impressive clamp strength, uses core and leg strength to dislodge defenders from gaps, takes good angles to blocks, effective and forceful down blocker, success establishing himself on reach blocks, good angles and timing on combo blocks, mobility to climb to the second level, physically overwhelming against second-level defenders, experience and some success pulling for gap runs, looks for extra work in the run game, plays with a mean streak, wants to finish and maul defenders, some positive reps vs. Mazi Smith (2022)
Cons: Committed nine penalties in 2022, only experience playing right guard, arm length could raise concerns, a little high-hipped, allows defenders into his chest, needs to get hands up and engage sooner, hand placement gets wide, combination of arm length and poor hand placement can be fatal flaw, too much bearhugging, limited lateral agility and foot speed, lapses in awareness lead to his center or tackle being beat while he is uncovered, late to identify and redirect laterally for delayed blitzes, awareness sometimes falters and leads to free rushers, late to redirect for stunts (especially against Michigan in 2022), instances of being out-leveraged and driven back in the run game, blown backward in run and pass game vs Clemson (2021), doesn’t displace nose tackles or beefy interior linemen, doesn’t have the speed for long pulls
Overview: Haynes has taken advantage of his extended stay in college, developing a thick frame and building up his play strength. His pad level is inconsistent, but he tries to maintain bend in his knees and doesn’t lean over his knees frequently. Haynes’ anchor allows him to absorb speed to power rushes when his hand placement is right. He has flashes of impressive clamp strength. Haynes uses his core and leg strength to dislodge defenders from gaps and open rushing lanes. He takes good angles to first and second-level blocks. The sixth-year redshirt senior is an effective down blocker and experiences some success establishing himself on reach blocks. He takes good angles and plays with proper timing on combo blocks. Haynes has the mobility to climb to the second level and overwhelm smaller defenders. UConn sometimes asks him to pull on gap runs. He doesn’t have the speed to execute long pulls but is effective with shorter gap assignments. Haynes is a nasty run blocker who constantly looks for extra work. He wants to finish defenders to the ground, especially against high-level competition. The Maryland native doesn’t mind exchanging words and mixing it up after the play is over. One of the most important developments in Haynes’ prospect profile was his noticeable upgrade in play strength from 2021 to 2022. In 2021, he was consistently moved off the line in the run and pass game against Clemson, but he had many positive reps against Mazi Smith and Michigan’s loaded defensive line in 2022. Haynes usually gets into trouble when he fails to make contact early in the play. This allows defenders to take advantage of his limited lateral agility and work around him instead of trying to play through his thick frame. Haynes’ arm length is a significant limiting factor. Defenders frequently out-reach him. This issue is exacerbated by Haynes’ wide and late hand placement that allows easy access to his chest. He relies too much on bearhugging defenders instead of trying to lock them out. The former two-star recruit is a little high-hipped and only has experience playing right guard. He offers limited lateral agility and foot speed. Haynes suffers from lapses in awareness that lead to missing opportunities to help his center or tackle. The All-American is late to identify and redirect for delayed blitzes and sometimes misses the chance to cut off stunts. This was an issue against Michigan in 2022. Haynes is powerful, but he doesn’t displace nose tackles or beefy interior linemen. There are times when he is out-leveraged and driven back in the run game. Haynes might benefit from a move to center based on his athletic profile and size.
Overall, Haynes needs to clean up his hand placement to mitigate concerns about his arm length, but he proved he belonged in games against elite Power Five competition. His aggressive mentality and thick frame should land him a backup role early in his NFL career. Whether or not he eventually sees starting time will come down to technical development and physical limitations.
Role & Scheme Fit: Right guard or center in an inside zone scheme
Round Projection: Late Fourth to Mid Fifth
Size: 6'3", 310 lbs. (Unofficial)
Submitted: 06-29-23