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Overview
Lamp finished a brilliant career for the Hilltoppers by scoring a touchdown in the team's bowl game. It was a designed "tackle screen", actually, and the speed he showed with the ball in his hands was indicative of his athleticism. Lamp earned honorable-mention All-Sun Belt honors starting at guard (three games) and left tackle (nine games) as a redshirt freshman in 2013. He stayed at his left tackle home the next year, garnering honorable mention All-Conference USA notice as the team moved to that league. The past two years, Lamp was a first-team all-conference selection, starting every game on the blind side. He was a third-team Associated Press All-American as a senior.
Analysis
Strengths Compact build but not lacking athleticism. Able to redirect weight back inside. Showed nimble feet when handling spin moves and inside shots from LSU's Arden Key in 2015. Patient. Works feet and hips into position before engaging. Secures block with chopping feet and quality positioning. Bends and looks for low-man leverage with hip thrust under him. Uses short, controlled punch in run game. Clever with hands in pass protection. Throws short, teaser jab with outside hand to entice rushers into premature hand fighting. Effective counter-puncher defending edge and clears his chest and re-sets hands if defender gets into him first. Rarely bull-rushed. Processes quickly when defense runs games up front.
Weaknesses Average frame and might not be able to add much more bulk to it. Lack of height and arm length will likely drive him inside. Expedited engagement on interior could prevent counter-punching style with hands. Will have to learn to keep hands in ready position and shoot them with tighter track into the frame. Positional blocker lacking NFL power as a drive-blocking guard. Lack of girth will require consistent pad level and a little wider base.
Draft Projection Round 1
Sources Tell Us "He's the real deal. If he can snap, you could get away with playing him all up and down the line. Great feet, strong, smart." -- AFC executive
NFL Comparison Zach Martin
Bottom Line Four-year starter at left tackle whose lack of length will likely force him inside on the next level. He has the athleticism to handle athletic interior rushers while being able to fit into diverse rushing attacks that ask more from the guards and centers. His ability to potentially line up at tackle, guard or center will only increase his value. Lamp's 2016 performance against Alabama's talented edge players was a resume-builder that shined a spotlight on his potential as a pro.
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