Sedrick Van Pran, C Georgia: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Van Pran was a four-star recruit from Warren Easton High School in New Orleans, La. in the class of 2020
Georgia Bulldogs center Sedrick Van Pran surprised fans and analysts by returning to school for 2023. The All-SEC selection projects as one of the top centers in the 2024 NFL Draft. He could sneak into the second round because of the lack of talent at his position in next year’s class.
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Sedrick Van Pran, C Georgia: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Redshirt junior center from New Orleans, La.
Background: Van Pran was a four-star recruit from Warren Easton High School in New Orleans, La. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 60 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 83 for Rivals, and No. 81 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 68th in the nation with an 84 grade out of 100. As a senior, Van Pran helped Warren Easton to an 11-4 record and their second consecutive appearance in the LHSAA Class 4A Championship Game. That year, the school’s offense averaged 39.4 points per game. He was a team captain for his final three high school seasons. Van Pran was a 2018 All-USA Louisiana First Team selection for USA Today and was a 2018 Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 4A All-State Honorable Mention. He earned an invitation to the 2020 Under Armour All-America Game. Van Pran also competed in track and field. He placed seventh in the shot put at the LHSAA Class 4A championships with a 47-feet, 10.5-inch toss. Van Pran was a LHSAA regional runner-up in the shot put and a qualifier in the discus and javelin.
Injuries & Off-Field: N/A
Awards: 2022 Second Team All-SEC
Pros: Well-proportioned frame, snaps are well-timed and properly placed, fires feet off the snap, explodes out of stance with urgency, plays with a wide base, stout anchor, anchor rarely breaks, leg drive moves defenders off the line, wipes out defenders on double teams, excellent job opening holes on combo blocks, frames blocks well, heavy and powerful hands, firm clamp and punches, core strength, good awareness to help his guards when necessary, identifies and catches stunts, enough mobility to pull to the C-gap, comfortable climbing to the second level
Cons: Center-only prospect, nine penalties in the past two years, doesn’t play special teams, arm length, can be outreached and long-armed, occasionally ducks head and lunges for contact in run game, could create more vertical displacement with a better pad level, out-leveraged in short-yardage situations, not a mauler, needs to be more disruptive in the run game, feet appear heavy, limited lateral agility and burst, late redirecting for delayed blitzing linebackers, limited lateral agility to redirect suddenly, overextends and loses balance at times, upper and lower body become disconnected on extended plays, inconsistent response time to stunts, fooled twice by stunts vs. Ohio State (2022), limited range as a blocker in space, looks out of place in space as a blocker
Overview: Van Pran’s surprising decision to return to college for 2023 makes him one of the top center prospects in next year’s draft. The redshirt junior was a co-captain for five games in 2022. He has a well-proportioned frame. Van Pran’s snaps are well-timed and properly placed. He fires his feet off the snap and explodes out of his stance with urgency. Van Pran plays with a wide base and a stout anchor that rarely breaks. His leg drive moves defenders off the line, and he wipes out defenders on double teams. The Louisiana native does an excellent job opening holes on combo blocks. He frames blocks well with heavy, powerful hands that demonstrate firm clamps and punches. Van Pran’s core strength helps him maintain his anchor and create rushing lanes. He shows good awareness to help his guards when necessary and identifies stunts. The All-SEC selection has limited range as a blocker, but he’s capable of making pulls to the C-gap and climbing to the second level on inside runs. Van Pran is a center-only prospect with no real special teams profile to speak of. He has limited arm length that won’t stand out among other linemen in the 2024 class. Defenders access Van Pran’s chest by outreaching him and frequently use long-arm moves. The center occasionally ducks his head and lunges into contact in run game. He would create more vertical displacement as a run blocker if he played with a better pad level. He is out-leveraged in short-yardage situations. Van Pran isn’t a mauler in the run game. He needs to be more assertive and disruptive in that area. His feet appear heavy and limit his lateral agility and burst. Van Pran is late redirecting for blitzes and stunts. He overextends and loses balance at times, especially on extended plays when his upper and lower body become disconnected. Van Pran usually detects stunts, but he’s inconsistent in this area. Ohio State (2022) fooled him twice, and he lacks the athleticism to recover in these situations.
Overall, Van Pran is a technically sound center with impressive hand strength and leg drive, but he’s a physically limited prospect. He would’ve slotted in behind John Michael Schmitz and Joe Tippmann among centers in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Role & Scheme Fit: Center in an inside zone or gap scheme
Round Projection: Third Round
Size: 6'4", 310 lbs. (Unofficial)
Submitted: 04-18-23