2022 Chiefs Draft Prospect: Vederian Lowe

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NAME: Vederian Lowe

POSITION: Offensive Tackle

SCHOOL: Illinois

HEIGHT: 6’4”

WEIGHT: 314 pounds

CAREER BACKGROUND

A native of Rockford, Illinois, Vederian Lowe attended Auburn High School. He finished as an all-conference player three times for Auburn. 247Sports rated Lowe as a three-star recruit. To boot, they ranked him as the 108th best offensive tackle in the nation among his recruiting class.

While at Illinois, Lowe started in 52 games and appeared in 53 total games across five seasons from 2017-21. He enters the NFL with plenty of experience, as a result. Additionally, Lowe has been heralded for his leadership both on and off the field while at Illinois. He was a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award, which recognizes players demonstrating leadership, courage, integrity and sportsmanship.

SCOUTING REPORT

Instead of listing positives and negatives for traits, this year we will be listing the best trait of each prospect and work our way down to the biggest area of improvement/absent trait(s), from top to bottom.

Power At Point Of Attack

When latching onto opposing defensive linemen, Lowe creates significant movement and opens up holes for his teammates. The impressive thing for someone his size, is that he can do that in many areas on the field. For example, Lowe has proven that he can overpower opponents when moving vertically, when moving laterally and when moving across the defender’s face. The power does not just come from his hands and arms, like it does with most other blockers. Lowe has a sturdy lower half and provides sufficient leg drive and foot power when doing battle in one-on-one situations.

Pass Sets

Overall, Lowe is more consistent and under control as a pass blocker, as things currently stand. His ability to adjust and reset his angles allows him to handle any size or speed of pass rusher. Lowe has a sharp kick within his feet, and he noticeably works to gain advantageous leverage at the point of attack. Furthermore, this blocker is extremely comfortable with the mirroring technique, rather than forcing himself to reach on the edge. He also does well to adjust his hands depending on the size of the pass rusher. Lowe is confident in being able to get both under the opponents’ shoulders and on top of their frame, at the same time.

Length

This blocker is capable of hanging on the outside of the offensive line at the NFL level, because of his ample length and enormous wingspan. He also has serious density in both his upper half and lower half. Thus, Lowe is incredibly difficult to get around. Pass rushers are simply forced to take wide or choppy angles when chasing after the quarterback. Finally, Lowe is still able to lay a lick on opponents with this, despite not always having solid footing or leverage.

Competitiveness

Lowe comes off like this gentle giant, so to speak. He is a team leader and an encouraging motivator. Yet, Lowe is not afraid to get chippy and smile at opponents while he is doing it. The Illinois product does not hesitate to drive defensive linemen into the ground, especially once he gets his weight on top of defenders. Lowe is someone who coaches know will constantly play through the whistle and will not hesitate to impose his will, while still playing smart and under control.

Football IQ

His experience speaks for itself throughout his lengthy time at Illinois. One area where Lowe is particularly impressive, is with identifying blitzes and defensive fronts. For instance, he deciphers through traffic urgently and does not get his wires crossed. This is heightened even further when Lowe is faced with stunts or twists upfront by opposing defensive linemen. Once again, he can be a leader for the entire offensive line unit.

Lateral Mobility

Illinois was primarily an offense that ran the ball heavily during the course of Lowe’s college career. Here and there, he was asked to climb to the second level or lead into the open field. Lowe was able to steamroll opponents in those moments. On the other hand, he displayed patience when extending his arms and allowed defenders to bite or make the first move. Lowe was able to make quick and easy decisions afterwards. When in one-on-one battles near the line of scrimmage, he showed the ability to bend and square his knees and transition smoothly in tight areas.

Hand Technique

Despite his power and length, there are questions surrounding his hand technique. Getting his arms fully extended has been inconsistent. This is usually more evident when he is working as a run blocker. Meanwhile, Lowe can often lose his grip and bounce off of defenders in those moments. He is sometimes late in firing his hands forward as well. There is more comfort from Lowe when he is able to mirror and adjust as a pass blocker. In the end, he works more securely when being able to pop his hands and dictate when the timing is best for him.

Balance

Not only can his hands bounce off of the opponent too often. But, Lowe has struggled with slipping and losing his footing as a run blocker. He basically gets in a hurry and overruns the point of attack. Lowe can stand to add more consistency with his pad level as well. When playing too high, he can occasionally fall backwards and get on top of his own heels.

CHIEFS FIT

The Kansas City Chiefs appear destined to lock up Orlando Brown Jr. to a long-term contract eventually. But at right tackle, the future is not necessarily firm. Andrew Wylie, who re-signed with the Chiefs this offseason, was admirable as a stand in last year. There is of course questions surrounding younger options like Lucas Niang or newly signed depth option Geron Christian. With Vederian Lowe, Kansas City could help him refine his hand technique while he continues to develop as a future starting offensive tackle. He could fit the mold of what Andy Reid likes from his blockers, in terms of length, power and sneaky good athleticism.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs draft prospect profiles throughout this spring. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.