Trevor Penning OT Northern Iowa: Scouting Report

Height: 6’7’’

Weight: 325

Overall

Trevor Penning is the left tackle in Northern Iowa’s balanced offense. In his 4 college seasons, he played in 37 games, starting 33 of them. With his size, he is not a very athletic lineman, but he plays with excellent toughness and aggression.

Pass Game

In pass protection, Penning has good footwork in getting to his pass set but has some struggles after that. He has excellent size and length, but he has a questionable anchor against powerful edge rushers. At times, he showed good balance and strength to stop bull rushes but other times he was pushed deep into the pocket and was unable to regain his positioning. Against speed rushers he has heavy feet and has difficulties in reach blocking fast, outside edge rushers. Against stunts, he showed poor awareness in picking up the outside rusher leading to open lanes to the quarterback. He is way too inconsistent in pass protection to be a reliable left tackle and a move to right tackle would be extremely beneficial for him.

Run Game

In the run game, Penning is able to use his excellent power to engage with his man and drive them out of the play. He plays with excellent block temperament and aggression which is what you want from a mauling run blocker. He consistently opened up running lanes with his ability to flip his hips and wash out his man down the line of scrimmage. While he is a very good run blocker at the line of scrimmage, he has trouble blocking at the 2nd level with his lack of athleticism.

Last Word

Penning played primarily at left tackle this past season, but he has some experience on the right side of the line and he projects best as a right tackle going forward. He showed poor athleticism and anchor in pass protection and does not have the athleticism to be a guard in zone schemes, so he will need to improve his technique before he can reach his full potential and be a reliable starter. For now, he can be a sufficient right tackle who can eventually develop into a consistent starter.

One-Liner: Penning has the size, strength, and aggression you want from a franchise tackle, but his lack of athleticism and pass protection technique is very concerning going into the pros.

Grade: 6.6 (Lower End Starter, 1 Position)

Games Watched: 2021 – Eastern Washington, Iowa State, Southern Illinois, North Dakota State

Team Fits: New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, Denver Broncos