STRENGTHS - Mills has the prototypical bulk and length of an NFL lineman. He is a powerful man that gets a consistent push off the LOS on run plays and has the nasty demeanor NFL teams love. He is quick to get his hands out and consistently gets a strong inside fit, which allows him to sustain blocks to the whistle. When he plays with proper base and leverage he flashes the ability to recover and redirect against counter-moves.
WEAKNESSES - Mills is sluggish in space and does not display the QAB to play on the edge. While he was aggressive and physical early in games I evaluated, he seemed to wear down in the 2nd half of games and did not display great quickness. In pass protection he often steps with his inside foot first, and utilizes more of a backpedal than shuffle. This causes him to struggle with speed rushers on the edge, as well as aggressive bull rushers able to get into his frame before he can set. At times he gets too far out front of himself on run blocks, causing him to lose his balance and fall off blocks early.
SUMMARY - Jordan Mills turned scouts' heads during Senior Bowl practices, as he made an immediate impact with his physicality and desire to finish every play with his man on the ground. However, his film at Louisiana Tech was not as impressive, as he displayed poor conditioning and terrible footwork. In pass protection he does not shuffle to the edge properly and consistently struggled with speed rushers. He is an effective drive blocker on run plays, but is not a dependable blocker in space because of his limited change of direction ability. While much of his footwork concerns seem to be as much coaching as athletic limitations, he will likely need to slide inside to guard as a rookie, but could develop into a starter if he can improve his conditioning and technique.