PROSPECT SUMMARY – SAMUEL COSMI

During his childhood, Samuel Cosmi was mostly involved in soccer. Serving as the goalie, he was only allowed to play there because it kept him from getting red cards. He was introduced to football after his mother signed him up for a youth league. What sold him on the game was following a championship victory, he got to experience the lavish life as he and his teammates got to ride in a limousine. Starting off as a fullback, he transitioned to the trenches where he played defensive tackle. After being moved up to the varsity team at Atascocita High School, he was moved to the offensive line. Unfortunately, an ankle injury sidelined him for the duration of the season. Returning healthy, his first scholarship offer came from Memphis, but he eventually committed to Houston, which is where eventual Texas head coach Tom Herman was located. Hired by the Longhorns the following November, Cosmi flipped his allegiance and headed to Austin.

Cosmi started in 34 of 35 games at offensive tackle for the Longhorns. Experiencing 14 games at right tackle and 21 at left tackle, he’s has a wealth of experience playing on both sides of the offensive line. At 6-foot-7 and 310 pounds, he’s a lean offensive tackle that has plenty of room left on his frame to fill out. With plenty of capacity on his body structure, he has the build to pack on 10-15 more pounds of muscle. 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. Frequently leaving his hips parallel to the sideline and the overreliance on out-athleting his opponent will be habits that need to be eliminated. Leverage is another flaw that must continue to be worked on as he has tendencies to play sky high and it results in defenders being able to get underneath of him. The former Longhorn blocker is an athletic offensive tackle that has many ingredients already present, but needs the proper coaching in order to blend them all together and possibly add more in order to reach his final state.

Ideal Role: Cosmi is a right tackle that has the potential to eventually slide over to the left side if able to correct the flaws in his lower half and continue to gain muscle mass onto his frame.

Scheme Fit: Zone Blocking Scheme

FILM EVALUATION

Written by Jordan Reid

Games watched: Texas Tech (2020), TCU (2020), Oklahoma (2020), Baylor (2020), Iowa State (2020), West Virginia (2020)

Best Game Studied: Texas Tech (2020), TCU (2020)

Worst Game Studied: West Virginia (2020)

Pass Sets: Even though Cosmi is an above-average athlete, there’s a lot more room for growth in his pass sets. Considering his athleticism, he doesn’t get a lot of depth overall. His post foot hardly ever gains ground vertically and instead he performs a shuffle technique as opposed to a natural kick backward. Shuffling to stay in front of defenders has resulted in him facing troubles when edge rushers have decided to bull rush and run through the midline of him. His pass set overall has potential, but there are tweaks that need to be made in order for him to stay in front of wiser defenders.

Competitive Toughness: A competitor in both the run and passing game, Cosmi shows to be a highly-competitive prospect when tangled up. Hand-to-hand combat and back and forth matchups have happened frequently. He’s not hesitant with showing nastiness as a run blocker, even though his natural strength doesn’t allow him to generate a considerable amount of movement. As a pass protector, he contains a violent hand swipe and finish that he’s routinely used in order to create quick wins for him.

Lateral Mobility: Asked to move frequently in the Longhorns' offense, Cosmi proves to have good movements laterally. Outside zone, bootlegs, roll out, and full/half slide protections were concepts that have frequently been used in the offense. Blocks that require him to stay on the move look routine. Flat down the line movements were frequently seen and he performed those types admirably.

Length: One of Cosmi’s greatest assets is his length. Having long arms combined with a lengthy lower half helped create an advantage for Cosmi. Even though he has hot and cold moments in pass protection, his length is able to overwhelm edge defenders. The task of surpassing it constantly takes a toll on defensive ends throughout games as well.

Football IQ: The former Longhorn offensive tackle proves to have a favorable understanding of seeing blitzes across from him. Noticing blitzes coming off of the edge and the various alignments that match is knowledge that he’s acquired over the past two seasons. Seeing and identifying fronts is another area that he’s shown to be capable of.

Hand Technique: In pass protection, Cosmi’s hands remain wide until defenders are able to initiate contact. He’s been unable to find common ground with the timing of the readiness associated with them, which results in him leaving his chest exposed. When able to latch on, he can generate creases as a run blocker, but his second-level climbs must become more accurate on zone-based concepts.

Anchor Ability: Still needing to gain strength in both the upper and lower halves of his body, Cosmi doesn’t contain the strength levels necessary in order to consistently stand his ground and halt the rushers that are running down the middle of his body. Attempting to readjust his hands and feet on the fly has constantly proved to be unsuccessful as he allows penetration to matchups across from him. As he continues to get older, gain more experience, and spend time in an NFL strength and conditioning program, his body will begin to mature.

Power at the P.O.A.: Cosmi contains power at the point of attack and he’s able to generate mild amounts of push. As a run blocker, he displays a mean streak that comes and goes often, but is enough for him to be an ideal fit in a zone-based blocking scheme that stretches defenses horizontally. Flashing his hands and utilizing them effectively is a trait that he’s still working to improve. Cosmi is often caught being the reactionary player instead of the aggressor.

Versatility: Having played both left and right tackle, Cosmi has the versatility and prior experience of playing both spots. He's best suited to begin his career as a right tackle, but having the exposure of playing on both sides will only help him. Cosmi doesn’t have the bend nor functional strength in order to play any of the three interior spots.

Prospect Comparison: Taylor Decker (2016 NFL Draft, Detroit Lions)