Anthonie Knapp
Notre Dame#81 overallDraft Movement
Down 27 spots since Jun 8
Scouting Report
Anthonie Knapp is one of the most fascinating projection cases in the 2027 class because his tape keeps refusing to confirm what his measurements insist about him. Recruited to Notre Dame as a debated three-to-four-star out of Roswell, Georgia, he was thrown into the fire as a true freshman when Charles Jagusah tore his pectoral in fall camp, becoming only the third true freshman offensive lineman to start a Week 1 game in Notre Dame history. He held up well enough to earn Freshman All-America honors while protecting a championship-game run. As a sophomore in 2025 he took a clear step forward, cutting his pressures allowed by roughly two-thirds, surrendering just one sack all year, and anchoring an Irish rushing attack that gashed Syracuse for 329 yards and USC for 306. His identity is built on patience and processing: he reads blitzes and stunts quickly, plays with a sound base, and recovers with veteran calm that reads older than his class year. In the run game he brings genuine power and leg drive, finishing defenders on the ground with rock-solid hands and a violent, latch-and-stay punch. He has logged real reps in both zone and gap schemes, making him a scheme-diverse blocker who should fit any system. The whole argument against him is the frame. He is undersized for the tackle position with short arms and modest timed athleticism, and when true NFL-grade length attacked that margin, as Miami did in a half-long protection meltdown, the technique could not fully cover for the physical shortfall. Notre Dame is moving him to left guard for 2026, and every serious evaluation slides him inside to guard or center for the next level. He has never taken a college snap at either spot, so the conversion is the evaluation, but his run-blocking already outpaces his pass protection, an unusual profile for a lighter tackle that points toward interior success. His processing, balance, and run-game feel should translate inside immediately. He projects as a mid-round interior c
The Tape
Strengths
- Two-year starting left tackle at a playoff-caliber program with 27 career game starts and Freshman All-America pedigree
- Advanced processing and snap-to-snap consistency that reads older than his class year, quick to recognize blitzes and stunts
- Genuine power and leg drive in the run game, creating consistent movement at the point of attack
- Rock-solid hands with a violent punch and the grip strength to latch and stay attached
- Grades better as a run blocker than a protector, an unusual and translatable profile for a lighter lineman
- Scheme-diverse blocker with real reps in both zone and gap concepts
- Sound anchor and balance that neutralizes bull rushers
- Massive year-two development curve, cutting pressures by roughly two-thirds and allowing just one sack in 2025
Weaknesses
- Badly undersized for tackle at 300 pounds with short arms, the smallest tackle in the group playing the position's hardest spot
- Below-average timed athleticism and modest foot speed narrow the margin his technique must cover
- Feet tend to stall once he makes contact at his set point in pass protection
- Shows a lack of confidence and comfort in true one-on-one pass-rushing situations
- Length gets exposed against NFL-caliber edge rushers, as the half-long Miami protection meltdown showed
- Frame math forces a projection to guard or center, spots where he has never taken a college snap
- Still needs more explosive, violent reach blocks and second-level agility
NFL Comparison
Joel Bitonio (undersized-tackle-to-elite-guard conversion arc); interior conversion projection with starter upside
College Stats
27 career games with 27 starts at left tackle (2024-2025); 746 run-blocking snaps and 785 pass-blocking snaps across 1,531 total snaps; 5 sacks allowed and 10 penalties for his career; grades as an above-average run-blocker and a below-average pass-blocker for his career; 42 pressures allowed at a 5.4% pressure rate, cut by roughly two-thirds from freshman to sophomore year with just one sack allowed in 2025
College Market Value
Our model prices him at $1.21M on the open college market, built from production, pedigree, role and Notre Dame's program money. No credible deal has been reported for him this season.
Every P4 player priced, math public: College players & NIL · Roster spend
Measurables
Awards & Honors
Freshman All-American (2024); Army All-American Bowl selection (high school); Three-time first-team all-region (high school)