Here is a look at his LG play at the Senior Bowl https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7mGWpPKMXw :
(1:06) - 45 degree Pass Set vs 3 tech. Retreat is pretty good here so feet are nimble enough. Gets a little upright (which you see a lot of on the sole game tape I can find for him), but head stays over his base. Hand position isn't great. All in all, a good pass set though.
(1:38) - Inside Zone where Cappa is playside. He has DT playing 2 tech right over him. He combo blocks with the Center down the line and then peels to pick up the attacking LB. DT ends up on the ground and he easily leverages the LB out of the play.
(2:18) - Another 45 degree Pass Set vs 3 tech. Again, retreat is pretty good here so feet are nimble enough. Hand position a little better this time, but, again, he gets a little upright and loses leverage. Is getting pushed back pretty good, but Center comes over to help to ensure no QB hit.
(6:19) - Man Lead. Cappa fires off the ball well with authority and great pad level. He and the LT double the 3 tech and cave him pretty badly. Cappa peels the attacking MLB and disrupts him enough so the RB can cut off this block for a good gain.
(6:47) - Outside Zone Play-Action w/ Cappa as play-side G. They go full run action here, so you get to see Cappa work horizontally down the LoS and attempt to leverage his man outside as he does. He gets a brief assist from the Center, but he does a really good job and the 3 tech is pretty much dominated out of the play.
(7:30) - This was supposed to be a Quick Set pass set, but it quickly turned into a 45 degree set as he lost leverage and began retreating. He has a tendency to get too upright in his pass sets and lose leverage. As before, his hands are outside which hurts his play strength/leverage (and can get him into trouble with the officials). His base gets pretty sloppy and he ends up on the ground. This isn't a pretty pass set by any means, but the ball is out right before the pressure.
Just as a side note, this is one of the things that makes Q Nelson so freakish. Its just Quick Set > devastating punch > anchor. Once those hands are on you, the play is over. You see so many Guards have to 45 set all the time because they don't have that kind of play strength (and they can struggle in doing so).
(8:08) - This is a little Man Trap on the Edge player opposite Cappa's side. Cappa is singled on 3-tech. He gets off the ball again with great pad level. Doesn't displace him at all and this time, the 3-tech is able to shed him a bit, but Cappa is able to occupy him long enough for RB to get through the line on the other side.
(8:45) - Inside Zone. Cappa and LT double the 3-tech as they work laterally. He's displaced significantly (2.5ish yards?) and taken out of the play. Cappa then peels on the MLB as he attacks the LoS and does a good job on him as well.
(9:24) - 45 Degree Pass Set vs 3 tech. Same deal as above (gets too upright, can't anchor), but this time his hand position is much, much better. The retreat is significant (4 yards and change), but he stays in front and the ball is out.
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Alright, that is 2 drives worth of plays. The only things we don't get to see are:
- Gap running game. We don't get to see him pull or block down.
- 2nd level climb to a LB in space.
- Screen play.
- We don't get to see him against any odd fronts where he is uncovered and/or has to pick up a blitzer.
So we don't get to see him do any moving in space, acquiring target, exhibiting spatial awareness/angle of attack diagnosis, and then play strength/technique to actually make the block. But we see most everything else.
- He does well in his Inside and Outside Zone blocks and he does well in his Man blocks and peeling attacking LBs.
- His pass sets exhibit a lot of typical things you see with Tackles trying to convert to Guards. Feet and retreat are good, but he plays way too high, his hand position is often poor, and losing leverage is going to be an issue. Getting a trained OT to stop playing too high in a 45 degree, retreating set is difficult. But he mostly did the job in each of those sets with some being better than others.
I'll check out more plays later.
