Ryan Clady

The Boise State coaching staff unearthed a tremendous talent in Ryan Clady. He was an unheralded defensive tackle out of Eisenhower High School. The Broncos were the lone major college pursuing him, and Clady figured that he would at least get a good education at the university. After spending a year on the scout team, the staff moved him to the offensive line. And like a fish in water, the talented youngster started to develop almost immediately. Clady would go on to earn Freshman All-American honors as a redshirt freshman and earn All-American recognition, along with a slew of other honors over his next two seasons. What impressed scouts about, beyond his developing frame, was his knowledge and technique at left offensive tackle. Watch game film on Clady to see a smooth kick slide in pass protection, his light feet leading on traps and pulls and, of course, a devastating hand punch. With his footwork and balance, he has easily neutralized quicker edge rushers on a regular basis. At Eisenhower High School, Clady earned first-team All-CVL honors, as well as first-team All-County and All-CIF Division recognition. Competing as a defensive lineman, he posted 60 tackles, five sacks and one fumble recovery during his senior year. With Boise State, Clady spent the 2004 season as a defensive tackle on the scout team as a freshman. His epic battles vs. All-Western Athletic Conference offensive tackle Daryn Colledge in practices are the stuff of legend in Boise. Colledge graduated and the coaches shifted Clady to the offensive line, where he started 11 of 13 games at right tackle, helping the team rank ninth in the nation in scoring (36.08 points per game) and fifth in rushing touchdowns (36). Clady, with a year of experience on offense under his belt, took over left tackle duties in 2006, going on to earn second-team All-American honors. He registered 102 knockdowns with 11 touchdown-resulting blocks, finishing with an 82.23% grade for blocking consistency. He paced a unit that ranked sixth nationally in rushing (214.15 yards per game), second in rushing touchdowns (39) and second in scoring (39.69 points per game). Clady was primed for a banner 2007 campaign, but he got off to a very rough start, as he was penalized four times in the season's second game vs. Washington and struggled a bit with his footwork. He did post some eye-opening performances, putting together a string of three games where he did not allow the opponent to record any statistics. He finished the year with 122 knockdowns, leading the nation's blockers with 21 touchdown-resulting blocks to grade 85.77%. After the 2007 Hawaii Bowl, Clady decided to turn pro.

positives

Has a big frame with developing muscle tone, long limbs, large hands, good midsection, wide waist and hips and can add at least another 20 pounds of bulk without having the added weight impact his overall quickness...Needs to add lower-body strength, but has the long reach to get into the defender's jersey and lock on...Still developing better drive-blocking skills, but has very good quickness off the snap, as he is light on his feet and shows the vision and agility to quickly react to movement...Has good change-of-direction agility and flexibility, staying low in his pads while demonstrating proper knee bend to attain leverage and sustain...Shows good body control and balance on the move and anchors well while keeping his hands inside his frame to generate a strong hand punch...Fluid runner with good hip sink. Works to finish blocks with a good base (rare to see his feet get narrow or stand too tall)...More of a position blocker than a physical one...Alert to twists and games, sliding his feet well retreating to protect the pocket vs. the blitz...Works well in concert with his guards to neutralize in-line action...Has that long arm reach to extend, lock on and wall off his man with a quick burst coming out of his stance...Has good lateral agility on the short pulls and keeps his hands active, displaying good recoil action...Made good strides as a junior in learning how to properly grab and punch in order to stun defenders...With his reach, he generates good lock out and works hard to maintain separation...Plays with good patience, as it is rare to see him lunge at a defender... Extends his arms properly and sinks his hips in order to consistently lock on and ride his man wide...Has a quick burst out of his stance to leverage and is capable of delivering a crunching hand jolt to get under the defender's pads and sustain...Shows good footwork and shuffling ability to wall off and screen in run protection...Fires out quickly, making good body adjustments when pulling upfield...Shows good aggression in his pass set and is quick to shuffle back to neutralize the edge rush (can be beaten by a speedy pass rusher when he tries to overpower rather than mirror, though)...Has solid recovery skills sliding back to provide a base in pass protection...Has made good strides in handling double moves, but must anchor better vs. the inside surge...Demonstrates proper arm extension, walling off his man while keeping his feet flat and his base narrow...His quickness and leg drive allow him to take good angles and neutralize linebackers when firing out to the second level...Follows through with his hand punch to insure the defender will not make a play...Shows the lateral agility and slide to be very effective leading on sweeps...Quick in his retreat, showing proper wingspan form to pick up the blitz...Comes off the ball hard and has the body control to execute blocks in space...Smooth in his movements when blocking on traps, showing good hip snap to adjust and make contact on the move...Can shuffle and slide efficiently, staying square and balanced in his pass set while showing the athletic ability to recover when beaten.

compares to

CHRIS SAMUELS-Washington...Clady has very good ease of movement coming out of his stance to get into defender quickly. He has the long reach and good hand placement to lock on and sustain. He is an effective trap blocker and does a nice job of either grabbing or stunning with his hands. He needs to add lower-body bulk and strength, as he might struggle some with in-line drive blocks at the next level. With his versatility, he might be a better fit on the right side until his frame develops. At 320, he looks a little light in his pants. With another 20 pounds and no lost quickness, some team could have another Jason Peters (Buffalo) on their hands, not a Samuels clone.

negatives

Lacks lower-body strength to handle the bull rush effectively and, even though he plays at a good pad level, he will get up on his heels and is susceptible to getting walked back into the pocket when he does...Intelligent player with good vision, but he has had a few mental lapses on the field that have produced costly penalties...Must show better work habits in the weight room and needs to be monitored...His lack of ideal leg drive prevents him from getting great movement on drive blocks and he fails to show enough power to root out more physical defenders...Gets caught up in the battle in the trenches, trying to face up and stone the defender, rather than slide back and protect the pocket...Has quick feet, but when he loses on a counter move and the edge rusher gets free, he is slow to recover...Might be a better fit at right tackle, as he has problems handling fast movement when on an island; will sometimes aim high when coming out of his stance and the result is that an edge rusher can slip under his blocks...Could be a more effective drive blocker if he can add and maintain at least 20 pounds on his frame...Sometimes opens his hips a little too much when attempting to anchor.

No injuries reported.

Campus: 5.28 in the 40-yard dash

355-pound bench press

475-pound squat

320-pound power clean

33 1/8-inch arm length

9 5/8-inch hands.

Attended Eisenhower (Rialto, Cal.) High School, playing football for head coach Julius McChristian

Earned first-team All-CVL honors, as well as first-team All-County and All-CIF Division recognition

Competing as a defensive lineman, he posted 60 tackles, five sacks, and one fumble recovery during his senior year.

Communications major

Son of Ross Clady

Resides in Rialto, California.