Anthonie Knapp

[Twopointtry]

Knapp time isn't for sleeping

Notre Dame offensive lineman Anthonie Knapp is generally projected by experts to be a 3rd to 4th round pick in next year's draft. He's been playing LT for them but is expected to slide inside to LG for the upcoming 2026 season. I think the experts are sleeping on Knapp. I have a 1st round draft grade on him. My NFL comp for him is Marshal Yanda, who should eventually be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Yanda was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the middle of the 3rd round of the 2007 draft. He played his first 2 years of college ball at a community college in Iowa. Frankly, I've never even heard of the CC he attended, it isn't one of the ones well known for producing football players. Yanda said he was the only player from his JUCO team to go on to Division 1 football. He had to go JUCO due to poor grades in high school. He played the next 2 seasons for Iowa, where he made starts at LG, RT and LT. Most of his starts at Iowa were at RT, he only had a small number inside at guard.

Yanda was just under 6'4'' tall, 307 pounds and had short 31'' arms. The book on Yanda was that he was tough, physical and nasty but he was a limited athlete. Some NFL front office people thought that he had underwhelming game tape. Yanda struggled during Senior Bowl week. Some NFL scouts reportedly had as low as a 6th round grade on him, though the majority of those polled voted for the 4th round range. The consensus opinion was that Yanda only had an average ceiling, but his supporters thought that he could have a long career in the NFL.

The Ravens drafted a different guard earlier in the same draft before doubling up on the position with Yanda. On his first day of training camp, Yanda was beaten so badly that he questioned whether he was good enough to make it in the pros. As a rookie, Yanda played RT. His 2nd season, he suffered a serious knee injury. He injury put his status as a starter in doubt as he began his 3rd season as just a backup. Not only did he eventually win back a starting position, but he became arguably the best guard in NFL history. So much for the idea that he wasn't a good enough athlete to be an NFL starter.

There is some draft love for Knapp. A couple mock drafts have him as a late 1st round pick. Ryan Roberts wrote a draft profile that compared Knapp to Joel Bitonio, who in his prime was the best guard in the NFL. Those data points are a distinct minority.

If you aren't yet familiar with this prospect, we need to change that. Don't sleep on Knapp. He has traits that could make him an excellent starting NFL guard and if the consensus board proves to be correct, he could still be available for the Rams even if we pick last in the 2nd round.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 1: Background

Name, school: Anthonie Knapp, true junior, Notre Dame.

Size: Listed 6'4'' tall, 300 pounds. Was listed by ND at 281 pounds as FR in 2024. Draftbuzz 5.30 seconds in 40. Brain Bosarge 5.15 to 5.25 seconds in 40.

3-star to 4-star recruit from GA. Dad played football at Youngstown State. Has a sister. Also played basketball in HS.

Brandon Marcello for CBSSports wrote an article about Knapp detailing his unconventional path to becoming the starting left tackle at Notre Dame. As a FR in HS, Knapp played TE and OLB and was 6'2'' tall and 185 pounds. He was 225 pounds as a SO. When he switched positions to OL, Knapp initially didn't like it. Playing LT his final 2 seasons in HS he only allowed a total of 1 sack. He was 260 pounds as a JR. He got up to 290 as a SR but said that it was bad weight that he gained to quickly, causing him to lose movement ability and experience knee pain, so he intentionally slimmed down. Knapp's recruiting profile listed him as 268 pounds.

ND's OL coach used to hold the same position at Virginia Tech. Knapp initially committed to VT but his dream school was UGA in his home state. They never offered him.

Knapp enrolled early at ND in 2024. He was reportedly only 265 pounds when he arrived in South Bend. Knapp said that eating enough to keep his weight up has always been a struggle for him. He got up to 290 by August of 2024. In the Spring of 2024 he was practicing at RT and C. He had never played C before and said that his initial snaps were wild.

Knapp didn't have high expectations for himself as a FR. He set a goal of just making ND's travel roster. He knew that he needed to work on his body to gain weight and he was learning new OL positions. The starting LT for ND suffered a season-ending pectoral injury before the season began, unexpectedly creating a hole. Knapp impressed the coaches with his consistency and won the starting job, starting as a true freshman at LT in Week 1 against Texas A&M. His matchup in that game was Nic Scourton, a 2nd round selection in the 2025 draft. Knapp never relinquished the starting LT job since that first game, even though he's been playing out of position for his body size and athletic profile this entire time. ND is moving him to LG for 2026.

High ankle sprain in Orange Bowl in January of 2025.

PFSN simulator 104 overall, 7th OG. (+) Early round upside, elite metrics in 2025 with only 1 sack allowed and a low pressure rate allowed in true dropback pass sets of 2.9%, excellent lower body power, flashes fearsome rotational torque, passable athleticism, cerebral and instinctive style, adapts in pass protection. (-) Average body mass and length, high cut build, lacks high end hand and core strength, minor hip stiffness, length caps his maximum raw power, hand strike timing and placement needs work, no elite traits.
PFF big board 67 overall (listed as an OT) Best football still ahead of him, better suited as IOL but all his career snaps have been at LT.
NFLMDD simulator 64 overall (listed as OT)
Ian Cummings mock draft 67 overall (early 3rd round). Baseline athleticism, compact power, rotational torque, awareness and physicality to be a quality starter.
DraftBuzz 4th round, 110 overall (listed as LT). (-) Terrible vs Miami, undersized with short arms for a LT, modest foot speed, has frame for a G or C but only has played LT.
Brian Bosarge (+) Durable, polished, advanced hand placements, consistent hand strike timing in both pass and run blocking, high level coaching, strong anchor vs bull rush, football IQ with quick recognition of blitzes and stunts. (-) Lateral quickness, aggression in run game.
Sam Teets 2nd round tier, 25th overall on preliminary draft board, ranked higher than multiple more well-regarded prospects, including Charlie Becker.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 2: Strengths

Young and still developing. Keep in mind, Knapp has only played 2 seasons in college. If we compared him with Marshal Yanda at the same stage of their respective careers, Yanda had only played JUCO football, he had yet to play a single snap for Iowa. Knapp is a former TE who didn't move to OL until the middle of his HS career. He played at a much lower weight in HS and has put on 40 pounds since those days. He's been playing LT for ND instead of potentially becoming a C the way ND initially planned. In terms of his technique, polish and football IQ on the field, Knapp plays like a NFL veteran. This doesn't fit; he shouldn't be nearly so advanced at this point of his career. A player with his bio and background should be raw and mistake prone. The exciting thing about Knapp as an NFL prospect is the potential that he could get even better. As he continues to work on his body, maybe he'll get stronger and more explosive. As he gains more experience and learns to play IOL, maybe he'll become even more consistent and gain position versatility. He's not maxed out.

"Oh yeah" meter. I lost track of how many times I exclaimed "Oh, yeah!" watching his games. Maybe once each offensive series, on average? I recently profiled Justin Evans from Nebraska and mentioned how Evans is very reliable and consistent, but he also rarely does things that are impressive and dominant. Knapp is night and day different. If you are an old-school football fan who enjoys classic OL play, this is your type of prospect. I like power football along the lines of "Zone blocking? We don't need no stinking zone blocking. Let's line up, play smashmouth football, and pound the defense into the turf!" Sean McVay and the Rams have transitioned more towards this style of running in recent years. Knapp is a throwback. He's tough and nasty. Some NFL teams won't like him, because he's not a good athlete and doesn't fit their minimum requirements for movement skills. He's not a modern NFL lineman. It is like he stepped out of a time machine from the 1980's or 1990's.

Dominant in a phone booth. Within about a one-yard square box of the LOS, he's dominant, he's King Kong. His effectiveness wanes if he has to move outside of that box, but at the LOS or very close to the LOS you'd be hard pressed to find a better offensive lineman. Very good body control in confined spaces to fluidly turn 180 degrees and block a 2nd defender. Very good combo blocker if the LB is standing very close to the DL.

Well coached, advanced technique. I know nothing about ND's OL coach. He must be very good at his job, because Knapp is super advanced and polished in both pass and run blocking, using techniques you normally only see from NFL players. Just as Knapp was an immediate starter at ND as a true freshman, he could be a Day 1 starter in the NFL. This is a key reason I gave him such a high grade. If you traded a 1st round pick to acquire an NFL veteran, that player normally also comes with an expensive salary. Let's say you got Knapp low in the 1st round. If he can start right away and play at a good level, now you have a cost-controlled player, plus a 5th-year option, and he'd be an early entrant at a young age. You can reallocate the money saved towards a different position on your roster. Over the 4-year period of the rookie contract, compared to the salary level of Coleman Shelton, the team would only spend about 58% as much on Knapp.

Able to generate massive power. Loads power almost instantly off the snap with compact gallop steps. Both his hands and feet are highly technical. Independent hands in pass pro. Heavy hands pass blocking. Gets his helmet to the proper side of opponent to win reach blocks. Heavy hands can shock smaller defenders and knock them off their feet. Plays with great leverage and posture. Can unleash overwhelming power on down blocks to destroy DTs. Upper body strength to toss DEs sideways after engagement with wrestler type takedown moves. Washed opponent so far down the LOS that the defender ended up on the other side of the center.

Very sudden out of his stance, able to load energy and direct it forward on run blocks or to set up very quickly on short 45-degree pass blocking sets.

Very strong, able to shut down interior gaps in short yardage runs, like there's a horde of flesh-eating zombies on the other side of a door that he's holding closed.

Super strong grip, hands lock on like vice grips but he has great judgment and timing to let go and avoid holding penalties if the defender pulls away to try to pursue the RB or QB.

Ideal level of aggression and physical attitude. Gives opponents "something extra" prior to whistle even when not necessary to win his block. Bullies LBs and throws them to the ground. Buries opponents into the ground when they are off balance.

Fantastic anchor and ability to dissipate energy. Able to defeat quality speed-to-power attacks. Very impressive how natural a feel he has for which technique to use when faced with power bull rushes.

Clamps down on speed rushers going outside, can meet and control them at the apex.

Certified people mover. Elite displacement on short yardage runs. Leg drive when faced up on solo run blocks to drive the opponent backwards off the LOS. Drove defender 5 yards backwards on solo run block.

Great at kickout blocks, can generate great torque and has heavy hands to displace defenders sideways, then seal them off. Club strike sent OLB sprawling 3 yards off his feet.

Reliably wins his gap, a good OL to run behind on situational runs when a team really needs a successful rushing attempt.

One of my favorite things about Knapp is that when the EDGE rusher attacks his outside shoulder with a speed move, Knapp doesn't overreact. You'd think he'd panic, because Knapp is very slow and doesn't have good lateral range to cut off speed rushers going wide. Instead, he stays balanced with his torso and helmet remaining within his base. This puts him in a perfect body position to deal with any counter moves back to the inside. Great patience, composure and discipline in the middle of the pass blocking rep, extremely rare for such a young and inexperienced player.

Great awareness. Reliably identifies CB blitzes, even if delayed and the CB initially acts like they are in pass coverage and there are multiple CBs on that side of the field. Not only does he see blitzes and stunts developing, but his timing of when to switch from one defender to the 2nd one is phenomenal. He doesn't leave too early and compromise his initial block and he doesn't go too late and get beaten by the 2nd defender, he's split-second precise so that he can get continue to drive or impede the 1st guy and still be square and powerful engaging the 2nd threat. Just a fantastic blocker vs stunts.

Plays to his full potential. Limited athlete but still finds ways to handle twists, get his hips around on reach blocks and cut off some speed rushes on reps that on paper you'd think he'd lose given his lack of quickness. Almost an optical illusion, but he plays under control and has accurate hands, which I think helps him survive. Doesn't have wasted movement or steps, he knows what he wants to do and executes each movement with composure and discipline. Has almost no penalty worthy plays.

Played in a pro-style offense with a variety of run plays.

A student of the game. Reputation for detailed tape study of his opponents. His OL coach complimented him for his attitude and inquisitive mind to learn all the details of his position. Doesn't have an air of entitlement. He wasn't a 5-star recruit, he didn't get to attend UGA, because they didn't think he was good enough, didn't have things handed to him, he won his starting job based on merit.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 3: Weaknesses

Can't play OT in the pros. Even though he's been a multi-year starter at LT for ND, he projects at IOL for the NFL. Knapp has short arms and poor lateral movement, making him a poor candidate to even play RT. You'd only slide him out to OT in an emergency situation where the other OTs got injured and there weren't any better options. Has never played center and his ability to reliably snap is unknown. Apparently, he wasn't a natural at it when he tried it during spring practices, so it is possible that Knapp's only truly good position in the NFL will be at guard.

Undersized. He's only 300 pounds and has short arms. His size profile is more like a C, but he lacks the necessary athleticism for playing pivot. Will he really be able to hold his own vs bigger NFL defensive linemen? Longer DE was able to grab his shoulder pads and throw him sideways to shed.

Poor athlete. Poor short area explosiveness. Gets exposed in space. Hips are not fluid to adjust to moving LBs at the 2nd level. Too slow as a pull blocker, not good value on gap scheme runs. Below average effective blocking range. Whiffs in space against superior athletes. Some plays, it just feels like the speed of the NFL game could overwhelm him and he won't be a good enough athlete to keep up. Feet can look like he's wearing cement shoes. Whiffs on some blocks when he can't slide his feet laterally fast enough to adjust to quick opponents.

Has little to offer on screen passes. Insufficient burst and twitch to reliably get to landmarks and effectively block smaller and quicker defenders. Runs so slow with zero burst that it can look like he's being held back by an invisible dog leash or is playing on a sprained ankle.

Limited lateral recovery range vs spins and quickness. His blocks can sometimes expire if the defender runs wide around him due to his below average lateral foot speed. On longer reps, quick and twitchy defenders can disengage and shed his block. Poor recovery athleticism if he overruns the blocking angle, can't adjust and salvage the block.

Doesn't have elite hand speed. Doesn't have a fast pedal dropping back off the LOS.

His helmet occasionally can get too far forward, over toes. Can be bench pressed and pulled down. Falls off blocks when his weight is too far forward. Two hand chop beat him. DE grabbed his arms and pulled him down off balance.

Not suited for wide zone blocking. He's only good when his base is planted and isn't as good sustaining blocks if he has to block simultaneously with his feet moving laterally down the LOS.

Scheme limited due to athletic limitations, which could be a huge turnoff for some NFL teams that use zone schemes or want to be multiple and use a wide variety of run concepts and throw frequent screen passes. Could carry a "D" or "F" grade athletic grade from scouts in their draft reports and push him down the draft board multiple rounds.

Was in 2-point stance at LT. No game tape of him playing from a 3-point stance inside as either a G or C, with his hand in the dirt.

There were a couple plays I saw where he appeared to make a mental error and didn't block the correct defender in pass protection.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 4: Draft Grade and Pro Comp

First round grade. Marshal Yanda (3rd round 2007, Baltimore Ravens, Iowa)

Anthonie Knapp is so slow and lacking in foot quickness that sometimes it is very painful to watch. It wouldn't surprise me at all if some NFL teams don't like him at all and assign him a very low draft grade.

I don't care if other people don't like him, I'd take Knapp in a heartbeat. I think he's a really good football player. He's super smart in terms of football IQ. He's a very technical player. He's a great pass blocker as long as he doesn't have to move to far laterally and he's a nasty and physical run blocker as long as he only has to make his block close to the LOS. In the correct NFL scheme, I believe he has Pro Bowl or even All Pro potential. If Knapp can continue to work on his body and work on his game, I think he has a higher upside than both Kevin Dotson and Steve Avila.

In a different era of football, it was much easier to find OL like Knapp. Today, many college OL aren't well coached. There are no longer many power rushing teams in college. Many schools have opted for spread offenses. Few prospects are good drive blockers who can consistently move defenders. So, while Knapp might have very low value for certain NFL teams, he might be highly coveted by a select group of other NFL teams.

If McVay wants to continue down the path of using 3TEs and building an OL that can blast holes open for our RBs, Knapp can fit into our offense. I've always believed in building a roster starting in the trenches. Knapp could be a critical foundational building block for the future of the Rams.