NFL Analysis
4/27/24
4 min read
Tanor Bortolini 2024 NFL Draft: Combine Results, Scouting Report For Indianapolis Colts Center
The 2024 NFL Draft is getting close, making it an excellent time to highlight some of the class' best players with scouting reports. Each report will include strengths, weaknesses and background information.
Here's our report on Tanor Bortolini.
Tanor Bortolini's 2024 NFL COMBINE RESULTS
- Height: 6'4"
- Weight: 303 pounds
- 40-yard dash: 4.94
- 10-yard split: 1.69
- Vertical jump: 33"
- Broad jump: 9'4"
Tanor Bortolini 2024 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT
STRENGTHS
- Stocky compact build that allowed him to play with leverage in run game. Clean footwork and hand placement.
- Showed good snap-to-step quickness, especially as a run blocker. Foundation of his game was his positioning and leverage.
- Competed hard in the run game. Maintained control of the defensive line with a strong grip and active feet. Finished with an edge.
- At his best in zone run game, with enough off-the-ball quickness to get to landmarks and second-level defenders.
- Eyes up and hands inside with good placement as a run blocker and in pass protection. Played with a firm base.
- Efficient from a technique standpoint, keeping his hands inside and his feet under him to maintain control of the rep.
- Showed latch and mirror traits in pass protection. Stayed square with a firm base and active feet with balance.
- Consistently did a good job mirroring and re-directing in pass protection. Moved his feet and stayed on balance.
- In pass protection snaps he showed excellent awareness and accelerated vision reacting to stunts and pressures.
WEAKNESSES
- Lacks the overall length you ideally want. Arm length could be an issue affecting strike timing and hand placement.
- Plays small on tape as if he’s much shorter than he is and short arms were definitely an issue.
- Did not generate power on contact in the run game. Did not move the defensive line. Could only win with technique and timing.
- Will likely struggle with odd fronts and big defensive tackles who can beat him with power. May lack the strength needed to win.
- Overpowered at times by inside bull rush, unable to anchor and hold his ground. Driven back into the pocket.
NFL TRANSITION
Bortolini is a fascinating center prospect as you project and transition him to the next level, given his traits profile and what he puts on tape.
Bortolini, despite being more than 6-foot-4 and more than 300 pounds, looks much smaller on tape and his shorter than desired arms clearly show up when you watch and evaluate him. Bortolini is not a strong power OL who can consistently move defensive lineman back, showing a lack of power on contact.
He was at his best in the zone run game when he could move, climb and seal and in the gap scheme run game when he was used as a back blocker to seal the back side defensive tackle. Bortolini was efficient in his execution in the run game, with his high-level competitiveness constantly showing up as he battled and fought on every snap with strong hands and active feet.
While you won’t describe Bortolini as a good athlete for the interior offensive line, he consistently showed the needed movement to mirror and re-direct in pass protection. Bortolini is a somewhat difficult projection to the NFL because he lacks the athletic and physical traits you ideally want to see and there are clear plays in which his limitations show up, especially versus power.
Yet there is a kind of awkward efficiency to his game that you see the more tape you watch. The question at the next level is how he will handle the much better one-technique and zero-technique defensive tackles that he will face and if he can survive and be successful in that environment.
Other Notes
Bortolini played four years at Wisconsin starting all 12 games at center in the 2023 season. He got experience playing guard before settling in at center for his final season.
There were snaps versus Iowa in which Bortolini physically struggled to block DT Logan Lee. That’s where his lack of size and strength came into play. Bortolini was at his best on Braelon Allen's 30-yard zone run versus Illinois when he comfortably got to his second-level landmark with good balance and body control. He sealed the linebacker to the outside with body position and leverage.
