2018 Raiders Draft Prospect Profile
Alex Cappa
Position: Offensive tackle
School: Humboldt State University
Height: 6-foot-7
Weight: 305
Projected: Rounds 4-6
Hailing from Arcata, Calif., the Division-II small-school prospect may be an unknown commodity to the football world. That tends to happen when you are playing behind the Redwood Curtain.
(For full disclosure, I am a Humboldt State alumnus and covered the Lumberjacks football program from 2006 to 2015).
Cappa has been making waves since arriving to the North Coast, garnered the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Offensive Lineman of the Year accolade four times, and anchored a Lumberjacks line that surrendered the least sacks in the conference (1.73 per game). Also named a Division-II First Team All-American, the biggest honor Cappa hauled in was an invitation to play in the Senior Bowl.
“I’m just excited,” Cappa told the Eureka Times-Standard’s Danny Penza earlier this year. “It’s a great opportunity and really the best opportunity you can have postseason as far as all-star games. It is going to be a great chance to display what I can do. Especially for small school people, it is an even bigger opportunity because they judge it so heavily. It is an opportunity to go against a level of competition that I don’t usually see. I’m excited to show well and it’s going to be a big leap.”
That alone should tell you how Cappa gained respect amongst collegiate football minds. He has the first-ever Humboldt State football player to be invited to a game all NFL teams descend upon. Respected talent evaluator Gil Brandt provided praise for Cappa in November.
Team fit:
Donald Penn, the Oakland Raiders stalwart tackle, turns 35 years old this April while his bookend, right tackle Marshall Newhouse will be 30 in September. The Nation of Domination offensive line will need youth infusion and the small-school prospect is that and more. Even if the Raiders move Kelechi Osemele to left tackle, it never hurts to have quality lineman as injuries can happen in a blink. Cappa is both big and quick in small spaces, traits each of the Raiders big uglies exhibit.
Strengths:
Has requisite size and speed and used both to dominate competition at the D-II level. Good footwork and speed (even at second level) for athlete of his size and adequate striking power when engaging. Solid mix of pass and run blocking skills with desired mean streak to finish.
Weaknesses:
Competition level. Small-school prospects are supposed to dominate the competition. It will be intriguing to see if he can do the same at the Senior Bowl in Mobile. In addition, coaches should test him thoroughly on the all-star circuit. How he does against the speed and power of D-I defenders will go a long way to determining if he is drafted or an undrafted signee.
Notes:
Played in a spread offense that operated primarily out of the shotgun at HSU. Is receptive to coaching and can fit variety of blocking schemes. Very much a piece of clay that can be molded into a starting piece and, at worst, a swing tackle. Has the frame to add muscle mass.