Class of 2014 First Look: Braxton Pfaff

While it was disappointing Brady Taylor de-committed from Tech in favor of Ohio State, it is easy to forget that Virginia Tech still has a #FabFive coming to Blacksburg. Braxton Pfaff, a 6-5, 305 pound right guard, signed with Tech last February and deferred his enrollment. Pfaff also needed shoulder surgery and the delayed enrollment gave him an opportunity to rehab an injured shoulder.

Pfaff was the Hokies highest rated offensive line recruit in the 2013 class according to Rivals.com (slightly outranking 2013 starting left tackle Jonathan McLaughlin). At Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg, Pfaff was a do-everything guard. He excelled at both zone blocking and pulling out in front of Coach Frank Rocco's pro style power leads and counter treys. Pfaff also joins the Hokies as they look to replace team leader and coaches second-team All-ACC guard Andrew Miller. The Hokies only experienced right guard (Brent Benedict) spent most of 2013 at right tackle with Mark Shuman and Alston Smith got limited work on the left side. Pfaff's preferred position is right guard.

Pfaff doesn't have the classic look of a lean, zone blocking guard. His build is very similar to breakout guard Caleb Farris, and Pfaff is a little bit taller. But, that big upper body is packed with power, and he has the quick feet of a much smaller man. When Pfaff originally committed, I was very impressed with his active feet both drive blocking and pulling on trap, lead, and counter treys. During his senior season, he also improved his upper body strength. As result, he does a tremendous job of getting his arms extended with a heavy punch to get the defender on his heels. Unlike his predecessor Miller, who focused on getting angles and turning the pads of blockers, Pfaff gets into the defender's chest and runs through them.

Let's take a look at his senior year tape. As you know, while I love physical dominance, I really enjoy watching players who have perfected the subtleties of the position. Here LCA runs a sprint draw play from the ace formation. Note Pfaff's technique at right guard.

00:02:09–00:02:17

I have discussed how important it is for a lineman to get width and "stretch" the defense east-west. This creates the seams for a running back to cut through on a zone play. Here, Pfaff takes a bucket step back and to his right to get him angled in a position where he can cut off the linebacker on a wide stretch. Then, he changes direction quickly and gets to the linebacker, who has scraped to the outside. The run is actually an inside zone. Pfaff has set up the block for himself. His quick feet gets him to the second level and he turns the backer to the outside, leaving a great hole for the back to slash through. This is really nice technique supported by great strength and athleticism.

Physical dominance is there on the zone play as well. Here, LCA runs a jet sweep with zone stretch blocking up front. This is a very similar play to the one that the Hokies had success with against UCLA. Pfaff has a three-technique defensive tackle on his outside shoulder. Pfaff's job is to work through the left shoulder of the defensive tackle and turn his pads to allow the center to reach him, then move on and drive the linebacker scraping across.

00:00:44–00:00:54

Pfaffs gets to the linebacker in space, gets full arm extension so he can leverage the linebacker if he starts to slip the block, and keeps his feet moving to bury him in the ground. This is textbook zone blocking technique.

Coach Rocco also likes to utilize man blocking to create angles and then pull his guards to clear holes at the second level. Here, LCA runs an off tackle power lead. The left side of the line blocks down, and the fullback kicks out the end man on the line of scrimmage.

00:00:14–00:00:24

Pfaff pulls from his right guard spot and leads up through the gap created between the tight end's down block and the fullback kick out. He turns up into the hole and finds the corner as the first odd colored uniform to come up in run support.

This is an incredibly tough block. First the guard has to pull and stay out of the way of any penetration coming from the defensive line. Then, once he finds the bubble, he has to turn his body a second time and get himself squared and turned up field without breaking stride. Finally, he has to be athletic enough to square up on a smaller and usually much quicker player. It requires terrific feet to keep from landing flat on his belly without making contact with anyone as a pulling guard on this play.

On this play, Pfaff is a little too flat coming pulling down the line of scrimmage. You would like to see him get a little more depth behind the original line of scrimmage to prevent being picked off by penetration. Here, Pfaff actually almost collides with his tight end, which has been pushed into the backfield. But, Pfaff stays on his track and gets turned up field ahead of his tailback. He then finds the corner back and instead of hesitating and reacting to the corners movement, he takes away space by running right at him. Pfaff gets full extension, and keeps his feet churning. The corner gets the pancake treatment. Bonus points go to Pfaff because the corner lays there like he just failed to outrun the bulls in Pamplona.

As I watched Pfaff's film, I really liked how he kept his feet moving at contact, and finished blocks with an attitude. Miller was seen as the "attitude guy" on the line last season; the guy who played through the whistle and sometimes even right on the edge of dirty. Pfaff has that same attitude. He plays to the whistle and looks to punish defenders. He isn't a guy who stops to look around and watch a big play. Consistent foot drive is the biggest strength of his game.

There isn't as much film on Pfaff in pass blocking situations. Here, Pfaff blocks in pass pro. He has decent technique and good feet to shuffle with the defensive tackle.

00:06:13–00:06:23

It isn't much to go on, but with his footwork and strong extension, any rawness in his pass protection technique certainly can be refined, but Stacy Searels can't teach feet and explosive punch.

Pfaff has had ample time to rehab his shoulder surgery. Assuming he is fully recovered, he will be part of spring practice and should have an opportunity to compete for a spot in the two-deep at right guard. The Hokies have gone from barely having enough depth to field a two-deep against Alabama last year, to having 16 players looking for reps at five offensive line spots this spring. The competition should be fierce for those spots in the two deep, and it will be really interesting to see how Searels will look to replace Miller. (Remember, he is the offensive line coach that recruited Brent Benedict to Georgia.)

Watch Braxton Pfaff's entire senior highlight reel.