Cowboys draft 2023 scouting report: Florida iOL O’Cyrus Torrence

A continuing series of scouting reports for potential Cowboys draft picks.

Name: O’Cyrus Torrence
Position: iOL
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 330 pounds

Combine Results: 5.31 40-yard dash, 23.5” vertical, 8’5” broad, 4.81 short shuttle, 23 bench press reps

O’Cyrus Torrence has had a rather curious path to the NFL. The hulking guard out of Louisiana fielded a variety of offers as a three-star recruit, with Georgia being the most notable school to request his services. But Torrence opted to stay close to home and play for the Ragin’ Cajuns of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Torrence started as a true freshman, earning conference All-Freshman honors for his strong start. He was named to the All-Sun Belt second team as a sophomore and then the first team as a junior. After that season, Torrence’s head coach, Billy Napier, left to take the top job at Florida. Not long afterwards, Torrence transferred to Florida and became a Gator.

Just like that, Torrence had jumped from one of the lesser Group of Five conferences to become a starter in the best conference in college football. Torrence didn’t disappoint, either, putting together a season in keeping with his reputation up to that point. Now, Torrence is in the conversation of best interior blocker in the draft, and could be a fringe first-round pick or early second-round pick.

Anchor: He carries a lot of mass in his frame and that translates to a stellar anchor ability. Torrence dominated the Sun Belt largely because it’s darn near impossible to move him, and that translated almost directly to the SEC despite a massive jump in competition. Few defensive linemen will be strong enough to move him off his spot.

Lateral Agility: This is a big problem area for Torrence, and one that was largely mitigated by the outside zone scheme he played in under Napier all four years. He has below average lateral agility, which limits his effectiveness in the run game and leaves his susceptible to stunts and twists in pass protection.

Point of Attack: Torrence has a nasty style of play and it’s evident in watching him at the point of attack. His punches reverberate through the stadium and he seems to enjoy the physicality of it all. He’s had problems being too aggressive - 12 penalties in his first three years - but Torrence cleaned it up significantly this year.

Balance: Aggression is a calling card for Torrence, for better or worse, and it sometimes manifests in the form of playing so forward that he gets off balance. He generally plays with a low center of gravity, but when he starts getting ahead of himself he causes problems for himself. That will need to be corrected at the next level.

Hand Technique: Torrence is active and engaged with his hands, exercising good timing to deliver effective punches and counter the defender’s pass rush moves. He doesn’t get full use of his arm length when it comes to extension, but his anchor ability more than makes up for that.

Run Blocking: He has elite potential as a run blocker, but he needs to be more disciplined. He’s a solid straight line mover for his size, and his tenacity results in plenty of plays where he is well downfield looking to finish plays. But he gets too ahead of himself at times, which takes him out of the play altogether.

Pass Blocking: Zero: that’s the numbers of sacks Torrence gave up in his four years of college football. He also allowed just one hit on the quarterback, and the only season in which Torrence surrendered double digit pressures was his true freshman season. He isn’t perfect in pass protection - most of his pressures came on stunts that exploited his lateral agility - but he’s far from being a liability.

Processing: There’s little question about his processing, as Torrence diagnoses various defensive attacks quite well. He just lacks the lateral agility and athleticism to always react in time.

Intangibles: Torrence has exclusively played guard, save for one game’s worth as an emergency right tackle, and three of his four seasons saw him solely at right guard. He doesn’t have much versatility at this point, given his few limitations, but Torrence has the strength and attitude to thrive in a zone blocking scheme that doesn’t ask him to do much as a pulling guard.