Dylan Wonnum, OT South Carolina: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Wonnum was a four-star recruit from Tucker High School in Tucker, Ga. in the class of 2018

South Carolina Gamecocks fifth-year starting right tackle Dylan Wonnum has an NFL build and could turn heads during the pre-draft process. He still has a lot to prove, but there’s potential for the former four-star recruit to hear his name called in the 2023 NFL Draft.

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Dylan Wonnum, OT South Carolina: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Fifth-year senior right tackle from Tucker, Ga.

Background: Wonnum was a four-star recruit from Tucker High School in Tucker, Ga. in the class of 2018. He was the No. 148 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 115 for Rivals, and No. 154 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 117th in the nation with an 84 grade out of 100. Wonnum also received offers from Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, LSU, Ohio State, Tennessee, and USC. He graduated in May of 2021 with a degree in criminal justice. Wonnum represented football on the campus SAAC and represented South Carolina as part of the football leadership for the SEC. His brother (D.J. Wonnum) was a fourth round pick from South Carolina in the 2020 NFL Draft and plays along the defensive line for the Minnesota Vikings. The younger Wonnum was born on April 5, 2000.

2021 Production: 6 games, 2 sacks allowed, 1 penalty committed

2020 Production: 10 games, 4 sacks allowed, 2 penalties committed

2019 Production: 7 games, 4 sacks allowed, 2 penalties committed

2018 Production: 9 games, 1 sack allowed, 2 penalties committed

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed five games in 2019 with an ankle injury, missed spring practices in 2020 after undergoing hip surgery, required season-ending back surgery after six games in 2021

Awards: 2018 SEC Coaches All-Freshman Team, 2018 First-Team Freshman All-America (247Sports), 2018-19 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll, 2019-21 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll

Pros: Some experience at both tackle positions, five years of starting experience, savvy at setting up screens, comfortable and capable working as a pulling lineman on run plays, appears to have adequate length, meets requirements for play strength, heavy hands bat around smaller edge rushers, forces the defender’s pass rush upfield and out of the play, adequate grip strength to sustain blocks, active hands are quick to engage, quick response to the snap, effectively sees and passes off games and stunts

Cons: Lengthy injury history, age, only special teams contributions came on the field goal unit, footwork can get wild, hand placement is too high, pad level rises quickly, frequently out-leveraged, limited agility to redirect and recover from missteps, first step lacks explosiveness, lacks a mauler mentality, doesn’t impose his will in the running game, allows defenders into his chest too frequently, wish his punches packed more pop, chest and head extend over his knees, feet look heavy, inconsistent generating movement at the point of attack, not physically imposing in pass pro, issues maintaining balance and anchoring in pass pro, allows the angle around his outside shoulder to be softened too easily, stop-start agility is lacking, susceptible to the spin move, not a twitchy or sudden athlete, doesn’t always gain enough depth in pass sets, frequently pushed and pulled off balance, looked uncomfortable at left tackle against Georgia (2022)

Overview: Wonnum is unofficially listed at 6'5", 305 lbs. He allowed pressure on 6.3% of his snaps in pass protection in 2020 and 3.3% of his pass pro snaps in 2021. Wonnum primarily plays right tackle, but he has some experience lining up on the left side. With five years of starting play under his belt, Wonnum is one of the most experienced offensive linemen in the 2023 draft class. He appears to have adequate arm length and meets play strength requirements. Wonnum has heavy hands to bat away smaller pass rushers, and he forces the defender’s pass rush upfield and out of the play. The former four-star recruit has the grip strength to sustain blocks. He’s quick off the snap and displays veteran savvy in setting up screens and effectively passing off games and stunts. Wonnum is comfortable and capable of working as a pulling lineman on run plays. South Carolina primarily runs a lot of zone and gap blocking concepts. There’s an appeal to playing Wonnum in both schemes. He has the movement skills in space to locate and land hits on second level targets as a pulling lineman in gap runs, but he has some physical limitations that might be better disguised in a zone scheme. Wonnum’s footwork varies in its consistency. He’s prone to opening his hips and almost running alongside fast edge rushers rather than staying even with them by sliding. It’s a bad habit he’s displayed since high school. This half-turn mode favors defenders because they can cut back inside, and Wonnum lacks the agility to stop, redirect, and get back in optimal form. The fifth-year tackle has a lengthy injury history. His footwork gets wild at times, which contributes to his balance issues. Wonnum’s hand placement is inconsistent and frequently too high. His pad level rises quickly, leading to him being frequently out-leveraged. Wonnum allows defenders into his chest too often. His punches lack the pop to deter defenders from targeting his chest. The Georgia native’s chest and head frequently extend over his knees. His feet look heavy, and his first step lacks explosiveness. Wonnum has limited agility to redirect and recover from missteps. He lacks a mauler’s mentality and doesn’t impose his will in the running game. Wonnum is inconsistent at generating movement at the point of attack. He’s not physically imposing in pass protection. He displays issues maintaining balance and anchoring in pass protection. Wonnum allows the angle around his outside shoulder to be softened too easily. He doesn’t always gain enough depth in pass sets. Wonnum is frequently pushed and pulled off balance. He looked uncomfortable at left tackle against Georgia (2022). Wonnum is susceptible to spin moves. Arkansas (2022) defenders beat him at least twice with spins because they were able to time his punches and spin away when Wonnum extended his arms. Better hand placement and stiffer punches could correct this issue.

Overall, Wonnum is a savvy veteran college right tackle who could play in a zone or gap blocking scheme, but he lacks the agility, balance, and power to warrant an early draft selection. It’s unknown how much Wonnum’s ankle, back, and hip surgeries have sapped his natural fluidity. At present, he’s not a draftable prospect.

Role & Scheme Fit: Right tackle in a zone or gap blocking scheme

Round Projection: UDFA

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 10-26-22