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Tanor Bortolini, IOL, Wisconsin (Junior)

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Rayane M

Back for the 2024 NFL Draft edition, The Trick Play team is once again offering to immerse you in the heart of the event through the scouting reports of Rayane and Valentin. Who will become the next gem of the pro world and who, on the contrary, risks a spectacular flop?
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Strengths :

  • Amazing athlete
  • Good punch
  • Nice anchor ability
  • Good game vision
  • Excellent ability to clean the pocket
  • Excellent pass pro

 

Weaknesses :

  • Snaps needs work
  • Footwork in run situation
  • Average run blocker
  • Lacks power

TTProfil

 
Tanor Bortilini is a pleasant surprise at a position where the media's attention is often focused on only a few names in this draft class. While I thought during the season that Tanor would be among the offensive linemen to benefit from significant publicity due to his qualities, which we'll explore shortly, Bortolini has slipped into the middle of the pack and thus appears to represent a great steal opportunity.
 
It's impossible not to mention Tanor's superb athletic abilities for his size. While it was evident from footage that he was an explosive and fairly mobile player, he absolutely dominated the combine, ranking in the top 10% of players in all mobility drills. Even more impressive, according to his Relative Athletic Score (RAS), Tanor would rank 33rd out of 1445 players who have entered the draft as guards since 1987. This is sure to catch the interest of many coaches who use modern offensive schemes and are seeking mobility on their offensive lines. Through his combine performance, Tanor not only proved he was fast but also showed great explosiveness and agility. Very promising indeed.

Another area where Tanor shines is his ability to block in pass protection — he's truly impressive. His hand placement is spot on, his footwork is excellent, his base is solid, and his ability to clean up the pocket is remarkable. It's a shame he doesn't perform at the same level in run blocking, as that would certainly elevate his value significantly.

His success in pass protection can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, Tanor effectively uses his punch to create separation from the defensive lineman, despite having relatively short arms. This initial contact allows him to lock onto his block securely, and once engaged, he doesn't let his defender escape.
Another aspect I appreciate about him is his ability to anchor well in pass protection. Despite not having the most imposing physique compared to other offensive linemen, Tanor is able to hold his ground effectively against heavier and more powerful defensive tackles. His anchoring ability allows him to stand firm against bull rushes and maintain a solid pocket for the quarterback.

I also love the fact that his head is constantly on a swivel. Tanor is always scanning the field, moving his head from side to side to identify threats or opportunities to help his teammates. Having his head on a swivel is a highly desirable trait for offensive linemen and linebackers, as it allows them to maintain awareness of the entire field and react quickly to changing situations. 
C'est un très bon point parce que cela permet à Tanor d'avoir une excellente capacité de lecture des blitz et de les anticiper efficacement. En maintenant sa tête en mouvement et en scrutant constamment le terrain, il est capable de repérer les blitz plus rapidement et plus facilement que certains autres joueurs. Cette anticipation précoce lui donne un avantage pour ajuster sa protection et récupérer les blitzers, ce qui est essentiel pour protéger le quart-arrière et maintenir l'efficacité de l'attaque. En résumé, sa capacité à lire les blitz et à les récupérer derrière en fait un excellent joueur en situation de blitz pick-up.
 
To finish with his strengths, I noted a very good, if not excellent, ability in Bortolini to clean the pocket in passing situations. What I call cleaning the pocket is helping the guard to clear the defensive linemen on the outside of the pocket to open up the quarterback's field of vision and remove threats in front of him (which allows a running QB to start directly in a straight line. Tanor excels in this regard; the number of times I've seen him clean the pocket properly and allow his QB to have a completely clear field of vision, there's nothing more to say, I really like it.


 
Now, while Tanor seems to be a real force in the passing game, the same cannot be said about his ability to block effectively in the running game, and that's what I reproach him for. Despite his very impressive athletic abilities, Tanor doesn't seem to be an essential element of Wisconsin's running game, and that bothers me. A player with this kind of mobility on the offensive line is normally a key piece of the offense and should be a real X-factor for his team's running game, which clearly isn't the case.
 
Si Tanor a autant de mal à briller en situation de course c’est déjà en grande partie du au fait que son Footwork sur jeux de course n’est clairement pas l’une de ses forces. Par exemple il tarde parfois à activer ses jambes ce qui ne lui permet pas toujours de créer de déplacement sur la LoS.
Now, if indeed his footwork in running situations needs to be reworked, I would like to see him more in a Zone Run-oriented offense where he would be put directly into motion as soon as he comes out of his stance. He might show something different than what we saw this season at Wisconsin, where he was mostly involved in power run schemes, which isn't necessarily suited for him.

Another really damaging point for Tanor is his lack of power and strength. It's not uncommon to see him sometimes really lacking the power to finish blocks that are otherwise well engaged. His lack of power is also felt especially when he has to prevent powerful DTs from creating separation with their punch. It's not uncommon to see DTs able to create separation with their power even though they were initially well engaged in Tanor's block.
 
Finally, the question will need to be raised by the team that drafts him about his ability to play center or rather serve as a replacement at the guard position. As talented and promising as he is, Tanor suffers from a question mark regarding his ability to snap the ball. Indeed, I noted that Tanor sometimes has a slow and not always well-placed snap, which raises some concerns.
 
 

Tanor Bortilini thus represents a project that may require some development before he can claim a starting position, but he brings undeniable assets to the table.

Indeed, while it's clear that he'll need to work on his run blocking across all aspects, it's also evident that we might have a player whose ceiling in pass protection could be elite. Furthermore, he has shown through his athletic abilities that if he improves his run blocking, Tanor has all the tools to have a very high ceiling.  
Absolutely, his ability to snap the ball will need to be revisited. While some believe Tanor should be moved to guard because of this, I'm not sure if that's the best course of action to maximize his potential. I've seen instances this season where he's been so valuable to the Wisconsin offensive line that I truly believe his most valuable position is at center. One particular play stands out against Illinois where Tanor handled three different threats in pass protection: he helped block the nose tackle, picked up a stunt from a defensive tackle, and then slid over to pick up another free rusher. When I saw that play, two thoughts crossed my mind. Firstly, with the level of offensive linemen in the NFL, these kinds of situations shouldn't happen, and Tanor would have an easier job than what he had to do at Wisconsin. Secondly, flashes like these show that he has the potential to become something special. Actions like these are what's demanded of a player in the NFL, and between his movement, intelligence, and ability to protect his QB—who is already, in my opinion, among the top in this draft class—Tanor is worth the risk for any team willing to select him and play him at center.

Given all the reasons we've discussed during this scouting report, I have no trouble assigning a 4th-round grade to Tanor Bortolini, and I wouldn't be surprised to see a team move up to select him in the late 3rd round to ensure they secure him.

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