STRENGTHS - Armstead is a fantastic athlete who has the foot quickness to get out of his stance quickly to get set up for his blocking assignment. He shows very good lower body flexibility and agility to get to the edge of the line. He does a good job of pass blocking with base and leverage and can slide out to set the edge versus quick pass rushers. He is a very good blocker out in space and does a good job when asked to get to the second level and take on linebackers. Armstead gets to a spot quickly and consistently beats speed rushers to the turn-point and is a reliable player when the ball comes out quickly. He has the foot quickness to keep himself engaged in deep drops and generally keeps his man in front of him. Armstead is explosive out of his stance because of his first step and he easily is the first player on the Arkansas-Pine Bluff OL to react to the snap. Once he locks up on a defensive lineman, he does a good job of working around man to get good position and can seal his man out of the play. Armstead is extremely mobile, displaying the skills to trap and pull, paving the way for his teammates. He has good size and the kind of frame to add bulk, which will be necessary going forward.
WEAKNESSES - Armstead has the quickness and size to play outside, but I don't think he has the functional strength to play inside in the NFL. While he is a good blocker out in space, he isn't a strong in-line blocker because of his lack of lower body power and strength. He was susceptible to the bull rush in college and this will be an area of concern in the NFL as he will face even bigger, stronger players. He is not the type of blocker who will fire off the snap and smother the defender across from him. He likes to use his body to seal, and aggressive defensive linemen are able to jolt him upright and push him backwards to disrupt running plays. He does not punch aggressively in pass protection and can be jolted and defeated by quick pass rush moves after contact. He also needs to hasten the use of his hands as they are sometimes an afterthought while he keeps his man on front of him. While he looked great during the All-Star circuit and the combine, he suffers from a lack of power and it will be a limiting factor in the NFL. He will need to add strength to compete at the next level.
SUMMARY - Armstead came out of nowhere to take teams by surprise at the East West Shrine Game, and he followed that up with a very strong performance at the Senior Bowl. If that wasn't good enough, Armstead blew up the combine in Indianapolis where he surprised scouts with his incredible athleticism, clocking an amazing 4.71 second 40-yard dash. There are no questions about his athleticism, but there are plenty surrounding his playing strength and ability to hold up against the bigger players in the NFL. As a player with great size and amazing athletic ability, he does a great job of getting to the edge of the line against speed rushers and in space where he can use his great footwork to create holes for his teammates. There are concerns over his strength, but the reality is that there are very few people with his size and movement skills, and for that reason he will most likely get drafted higher than this grade shows. There will certainly be a few teams that fall in love with him and view him as a much better prospect than he currently is. He is an intriguing player with great foot quickness, flexibility and smarts and the combination gives him the tools to at worst be a good swing tackle that can play at either right or left tackle. However, he needs to get stronger at the point of attack to improve his chances to be a full-time starter in the NFL and if he can he could be a player who outperforms the spot where he is picked. Because of the strengths and weaknesses described above, he warrants third-round consideration by a team looking to develop a player with rare athletic tools.