High School and College Career
Jake Andrews, a 3-star Stanhope Elmore High School prospect, joined the Troy Trojans after finishing high school. Andrews was given a promising rating of 0.840 by 247 Sports, which marked him as a player with serious potential for a successful college football career.
As a freshman, Andrews began his journey with the Trojans in 2018, clocking in a meager 20 snaps across just 3 games.
In his sophomore year, Andrews played in nine games and a total of 274 snaps. He mostly played center but took a few snaps at left guard. Impressively, he let up just 2 QB hurries and 2 QB hits but no sacks over the season.
Fast forward to the 2020 season as a junior, and Andrews saw duty in 11 games while totalling 804 snaps. This time, he played predominantly at right guard, showing off his versatility on the field. Andrews let up only 4 QB hurries, 2 QB hits, with just one sack for the entire season.
In 2021, as a senior, Andrews continued to play at right guard and participated in 12 games, totaling 784 snaps. He allowed only 8 QB hurries, 3 QB hits, and just one sack.
In the 2022 season, Andrews returned to the field as a fifth-year senior, playing in 13 games and clocking up 845 snaps. This time, Andrews shifted to center, a position he had previously played during his sophomore year. He let up 9 QB hurries and no QB hits and allowed 5 sacks.
Jake Andrews Scouting Report Introduction
Jake Andrews, a three-year starter for the Troy football team, has played multiple positions on the offensive line throughout his collegiate career. Andrews played left and right guard as a sophomore and junior, respectively. For his senior season, he made the switch to center. Although Andrews has good size, he may be better suited to play guard due to his mass and average athleticism.
Andrews has demonstrated his ability to be an above-average run blocker. He initiates contact with good pad level and power, which allows him to generate movement at the point of attack. When working off angles, Andrews is able to use his leg drive to push his defender down the field. However, when facing stronger nose tackles in head-up matchups, Andrews tends to struggle. While he does not excel at landing on moving targets, Andrews performs well when working on pulls and screens. Additionally, he consistently shows effort and the right temperament on the field.
In terms of the passing game, Andrews displays quick and active hands that allow him to disrupt the defender’s rush. He has a well-timed punch and understands how to use his hands inside to control and steer his defender. Despite having just-above-average length, Andrews can struggle when defenders get in his chest and drive him back. Although he has an above-average anchor and can recover from initial ground losses, Andrews has been shown to be vulnerable to quick penetrating tackles due to his lack of foot quickness.
Overall, Andrews has been a productive starter in college and possesses low-level starter qualities that could translate to the NFL. However, his lack of NFL-caliber athleticism and above-average strength may limit his potential upside.
Strengths
He excels in executing reach blocks is outstanding, as he demonstrates a quickness for his initial movement and flexibility to seal the backside of the play effectively.
Andrews’ intelligence is another asset when it comes to identifying and reacting to twists and stunts in the offensive line, ensuring that his team’s play is not disrupted. His timing on combo blocks is also impressive, as he knows precisely when to execute a block and how to position himself to maximize its effectiveness.
In the run game, Andrews brings a physicality that is difficult to match. His mean streak is evident in his ability to generate a push at the initial point of attack. Andrews also shows great versatility in his movement, successfully getting outside to land blocks in space.
When moving upfield, Andrews does an excellent job landing block on the second level of the defense. He can move quickly and exhibit flexibility and balance, making it easy for him to make blocks in space effectively.
Overall, Jake Andrews is a competent and valuable lineman whose strengths lie the run game and when using his mobility.
Weaknesses
One of the areas where he struggles is maintaining the optimal height during his sets. When he gets too high, it can lead to a loss of power, which is not ideal for a player who needs to be able to hold his own against aggressive opponents.
Andrews is recognized for having significant power in the run game. However, this strength is sometimes undermined by the fact that he’s not a mauler. Taking his physicality up another notch could help him in all facets of his game, but especially in run blocking. Additionally, there are times when he halts his feet while throwing punches, which can reduce his effectiveness in delivering blows to his opponents.
Andrews has inconsistent balance when moving back into his sets. This lack of balance can lead to him being off-balance and unable to mount a defense against the opposing team.
Jake Andrews is the 170th prospect on our draft big board.