Green Bay Packers 2021 NFL Draft Prospects to Know: OT Samuel Cosmi
By Paul Bretl
If addressing the offensive tackle position isn’t the top need that the Green Bay Packers have in the draft, then it’s a close second. With David Bakhtiari out to begin the season, the starters as it currently stands will be Billy Turner and Elgton Jenkins, with Yosh Nijman as the only backup.
While I am fairly confident that Jenkins and Turner will hold their own, one injury and Green Bay could be in some big trouble. On top of that, with Jenkins at one of the tackle positions, that means either Simon Stepaniak or Ben Braden will be one of the starting guards. Maybe they’re ready for that, but from our vantage point, my guess is that they aren’t.
Landing a tackle who can start immediately will alleviate these concerns by adding to the depth but also allowing Jenkins to move back inside, with Stepaniak and Braden remaining as backups. That rookie will also become the Packers’ right tackle of the future with Turner’s status beyond 2021 unknown—this is something that they don’t have on the roster at the moment.
So as we look at first-round options at tackle, one player who just fits what the Green Bay Packers look for is Samuel Cosmi from Texas.
Cosmi has three years of starting experience, with the first year coming at right tackle and the last two at left tackle, taking over 2,600 career snaps along the way. Cosmi has improved each season, becoming a well-rounded pass-blocker and run-blocker, ranking among the best in both at the tackle position, according to PFF ($$).
In three years, he allowed just six total sacks and 37 pressures. In 2020 specifically, Cosmi was the third-highest graded pass-blocking tackle by PFF and ranked 15th out of 113 eligible tackles in their pass-blocking efficiency metric.
As a run-blocker, Cosmi was also very good, grading out as the 20th best tackle this past season. During his career as a Longhorn, over 68 percent of Cosmi’s run-blocking snaps came as a zone blocker—which is the type of blocking scheme that the Packers utilize under Matt LaFleur.
If there is an area to improve upon, as Jordan Reid of The Draft Network mentions, it would be his functional play strength. PFF also notes that Cosmi struggled in 2019 against K’Lavon Chaisson’s speed.
So to recap: Cosmi is experienced, was very good as both a run-blocker and a pass-blocker, plays a premier position, and is well versed as a zone blocker. On top of that, he has terrific size at nearly 6’6”, weighing 314 pounds, and tested incredibly well athletically, posting a Relative Athletic Score of 9.9 out of 10 at his Pro-Day.
With all of those boxes checked, I’d say it’s safe to say that Cosmi is absolutely an option for the Green Bay Packers at pick 29. In just about every way, he is the type of player that they love.
For more on Cosmi’s game, here is what else Reid had to say in his pre-draft report:
"“As a run blocker, he climbs to the second level with ease in order to latch and eliminate targets. On the other hand, his lack of play strength on the first level shows up at the point of attack as he isn’t a frequent people mover. Cosmi is a shield blocker that’s able to position his frame into winning alignments in order to create running lanes. In pass protection, his length gives him an advantage against defenders that are attempting to bend and turn the corner against him.”“…Possessing above-average athleticism, he’s able to overcompensate and get away with the current technical flaws that he has. Cosmi will need seasoning as a pass protector as he needs to gain strength as well as refine his lower half.”"
In what is a deep tackle class, The Draft Network has Cosmi as the eighth-best tackle on their big board and the 53rd overall prospect. Meanwhile, PFF also has Cosmi as the eighth-best tackle but at 38th overall on their board.
If the Green Bay Packers want Cosmi, he will have to be available in Round 1 and they will have to take him then. The Mock Draft Database has a first-round projection on Cosmi, and based on the hundreds and hundreds of mock drafts they’ve compiled, the “consensus pick,” as they call it, has him going to Indianapolis at pick 21—but take that as you will.
Cosmi is an ideal fit for LaFleur’s zone running scheme and is a Day 1 starter that would take care of those concerns that I mentioned above. He may never be an All-Pro, but he’s someone who can be the Green Bay Packers starting right tackle for a number of years.