Indiana offensive guard Dan Feeney, 6'4" and 310 lbs., is rated by CBS Sports as the best player at his position for the upcoming 2017 NFL draft. He is projected to be a first or second round pick and is the only offensive guard to be rated higher than Ohio State's Billy Price.
During the Buckeye's game versus Indiana in Bloomington last year, Ohio State made a defensive adjustment early in 2nd quarter after Feeney, right guard #67, made this block near the goal line.
For the remainder of the game, Ohio State moved #92, Aldophus Washington, to play against Feeney in an attempt to neutralize his blocking success. In my opinion, after moving Washington over, neither player dominated the other for the remainder of the game and both players recorded pluses and minuses. Pretty impressive when you consider Washington is now a starting defensive lineman in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills.
A point of interest, starting right tackle Dimitric Camiel (#77 in video above) and Dan Feeney both missed the Michigan State game due to injury. Feeney suffered a concussion against Ball State on September 10th and Camiel recently underwent surgery for a bulging disc in his back. It seems Camiel may be lost for the season and Feeney's status for the Ohio State game this weekend is unclear.
It would be a disappointment if Feeney doesn't play. He is truly a gifted player. A good way to evaluate the quickness and nimbleness of an offensive lineman is to watch how they block in space. Can they lock up and make an effective block against a smaller but faster player? I would think Gareon Conley will remember this play from last year's game.
It will be particularly interesting to see how the young Ohio State defensive linemen perform against the redshirt senior Feeney. With the line rotation used by Coach Johnson, each interior lineman will, more than likely, have an opportunity to display his skills against a quality, NFL caliber opponent. Feeney may be a good barometer for how the defensive line will perform in possible championship games at the end of season.
Let's hope they don't look like this.
