STRENGTHS - Pocic's aggressive blocking style and rare competitiveness help him to block to the limits of his ability. Blessed with excellent height and long arms for a center, if he can get hands on DL first and "gets a good fit" he can usually keep man tied up on the line. Highly intelligent, Pocic consistently makes the correct protection calls. In addition to being smart, Pocic has good football instincts, which help him to anticipate what is coming during the play. He works well with the guards to switch off and handle DL stunts/games easily. Able to get through the line quickly, if he does not have to adjust and come off his track he can tie up linebacker and keeps him sealed out of the play. On in-line run blocks Pocic does a good job of getting ahold on DL, works around man and can pin and seal man out of the play.
WEAKNESSES - Limited athletically, Pocic struggles when he has to move his feet a lot. While he is an effective blocker on second level when he does not have to adjust off track, he struggles greatly to adjust to block a moving target out in space. He lacks the agility to slide quickly side to side to handle quick change of direction pass rush moves. He tends to block upright and without leverage, which limits his playing strength. He lacks the strength to get movement on in-line run blocks and struggles to hold ground vs "bull rushers" if he does not get hands on pas rusher first. He does too much bending at the waist, leaning and reaching to make blocks, which leads to him falling off and losing blocks too often.
SUMMARY - Despite receiving national attention as a premier center and potential All American, Pocic was greatly disappointing to evaluate. While he has good height and long arms, he lacks good playing strength, struggles to block with base/leverage and is a limited athlete. He has the smarts, toughness, intangibles and leadership to handle the mental side of the game and will never be out-worked, on or off the field, which definitely increases his value. Overall, I would not draft Pocic because I do not believe he has what it takes to be a productive starting center in the NFL. He would be a solid free agent signing because offensive linemen like Pocic often make it as backups because of their size, competitiveness, smarts and versatility. He could be a roster spot saver on game day as he could be the fourth guard, backup center and because of his height and long arms he could even be the emergency tackle.