NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
by Paul Eide
Senior Writer
2/24/09


The buzz heading into NFL Combine last week was about the depth of talent at the left tackle position, with most projections having as many as four left tackles being taken in the first 13 picks: Andre Smith, Jason Smith, Michael Oher and Eugene Monroe. Now that the dust has settled, this much is clear: Andre Smith did as much as he could to hurt his stock, Jason Smith did as much as he could to help his, Michael Oher still doesn’t seem “mean” enough and Eugene Monroe did what he always did during his career at Virginia; performed consistently without drawing undue attention to himself while being praised as the most athletic left tackle available.  

Many experts will weigh in on who will be the best pro based on their Combine performances, but Eugene Monroe knows there is more to it than that.

“The Combine is a way to display your athletic ability but what it’s going to come down to it’s talking to the coaches and the film from over the three previous years is going to be evaluated,” said Monroe about his perspective on the Combine. “How you play football is more important than how you perform in these drills.”

And what a career it was. The 2008 All American didn’t allow a sack in two years as the full time starter at left tackle. Not even Jake Long had that kind of success in his final two years at Michigan. Monroe could overpower bigger, stronger ACC defensive ends, or dance around them with is incredibly agile feet.

“A lot of it comes from film study and working on your technique, studying defenders making sure you’re doing those things all the time,” said Monroe about what it takes to protect his QB’s blindside flawlessly. “But, there’s always room for improvement in my game. I might feel like I played a great game but when I look at it on film, there are just so many things I could’ve done better, so the work never stops.”

One thing NFL scouts haven’t devised a physical test for is the level of competition the player in question has gone up against in his college career. And if that was the case, Monroe’s resume would speak for itself, even excluding any ACC opponent he ever faced. His predecessors on the left side of the line at the University of Virginia were both eventual first round picks; D’Brickashaw Ferguson (#4 in 2006) and Branden Albert (#15 in 2008). Not to mention his main foe in practice for three years was DE Chris Long, drafted #2 overall in last years draft.

“When I got there, everyone knew D’Brickashaw, but no one was talking about Chris Long,” said Monroe of his battles in practice with future first round draft picks.
“Just to be able to see what kind of player Chris developed into and to practice with him every day for two years pretty much every play in practice helped me accelerate my game that much faster.  And then at the same time, having Brick and Branden around, I was surrounded by so much talent I learned more than I could have anywhere else.”

The help he received on the field from his former Cav teammates has also extended to his preparation from the draft, from Branden Albert most specifically.

“I’ve been speaking to him pretty much non stop; he’s like a brother to me,” said Monroe of his relationship the Chiefs starting offensive lineman. “He called me and gave me a rundown about the combine, the draft itself; what to look out for, what to be aware of. And to approach it like everything else- just being myself.”

Being praised as the best at his respective position is not anything new for Monroe, which makes him better prepared than his competition. As a senior at Clinton Jones high school in Plainfield, New Jersey, Monroe was hailed as the top offensive lineman in the country by several magazines and websites (SuperPrep, Student Sports, Scout.com, CollegeFootballNews.com) and was lavished with every individual award and accolade available.  The scrutiny of the NFL Combine was intense, but not unfamiliar.

“It’s a unique situation for me, but it’s a lot like when I was coming out of high school when I was in a similar position but now, having the next step be the NFL,” said Monroe.

“It’s something my family can look at and be proud of,” said Monroe of all the individual accolades. “Coming out of high school I was just happy to get the opportunity to go to college, now everyday I’m talking to my family and they’re like, ‘you better run this fast, you better do this fast, etc’. I am a pretty focused individual so I just continue to prepare for playing in the NFL and I feel very confident.”

Most of the time, the average fan only notices an offensive lineman during the course of a football game when they do something incorrectly. Plus, with the exception of the “Pancake” there are no stats to quantify success other than the success of the unit as a whole. So how does an offensive lineman stay motivated from play to play?  What’s the most exciting and satisfying play for a left tackle in football?

“When you know you make your block and you finish it clean, said Monroe without hesitation. “You look up and your running back is 30 yards in front of you headed towards the end zone. That is a great feeling of accomplishment, not just for me but for the whole team because it takes all of us to make it happen.”

The next great accomplishment on the horizon for Eugene Monroe is going to be an individual one; He should be the first offensive tackle selected at the NFL Draft on April 25th.


• Abromowitz's 2009 NFL Mock Draft - 4 rounds
• Cox's 2009 NFL Mock Draft - 2 rounds
• Donnelly's 2009 NFL Mock Draft 
• Mock Draft Database