Mountaineers on the Clock: Yodny Cajuste

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With the NFL Combine ongoing and NFL Draft approaching, WVSports.com continues its multi-part series featuring NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler of The Athletic, who provides an in-depth look at West Virginia's draft prospects.

Previously, Brugler analyzed quarterback Will Grier's skill set, strengths and weaknesses.

Today, Brugler breaks down West Virginia offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste's tape and how he may fare in the NFL.

Brugler has Cajuste ranked as the seventh-best offensive tackle in his pre-NFL combine rankings and he's projected to be drafted with the 39th pick in the second round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Brugler's latest mock draft.

What are Cajuste’s strengths and weaknesses? Is he a true left tackle or could be potentially play guard or center if needed?

Do you see him being a first round pick or falling into the second round?

What can Cajuste do to improve his draft stock?

What offensive scheme best fits Cajuste? Will that matter when it comes to drafting him?

Below is Brugler's complete evaluation of Cajuste:

YODNY CAJUSTE | West Virginia | 6050 | 308 lbs. | rSR. Miami, Fla. (Miramar) 2/21/1996 (age 23.19) #55

BACKGROUND: A three-star offensive tackle recruit out of high school, Yodny (YOD-nee) Cajuste (ka-JUST) grew up focused on basketball and started at Miami’s Miramar, receiving recruiting interest from some mid-majors. He rebuffed the football coaches begging him to play football, but finally gave in prior to his senior season, starting at offensive tackle in 2013 at only 240 pounds. Cajuste received scholarship offers from power-five programs like Florida, Oklahoma State and West Virginia, committing to the Mountaineers. He battled knee injuries over his career, but stayed healthy his final two years. Cajuste accepted his invitation to the 2019 Senior Bowl, but was unable to participate due to an ankle injury.

STRENGTHS: Wide-based frame with long levers…quick feet and lateral quickness to protect the edge…coordinated body control to play inside-out…aggressive reach and long-arm to slow the momentum of rushers…unleashes a nasty punch when looking to finish…shows the mobility to block at the numbers or climb and put linebackers on skates…intense, physical mentality appears to come natural…graduated with his degree in multidisciplinary studies (Dec. 2017)…worked hard to go from 215 pounds as a junior to his current 300+ pounds.

WEAKNESSES: Light-footed, but lower body is more rigid than fluid…NFL power will rock him unless he develops better knee bend and leverage…bad habit of lunging and losing his balance…wide, erratic hands and wears a large “welcome” sign on his chest…needs to cut down on the holding penalties…inconsistent awareness and needs to improve his body angles…competes with an edge, but needs to keep his emotions in check…medicals will be paramount with his history of knee issues; suffered a torn ACL (Sept. 2016) and required season-ending surgery; missed six games as a redshirt freshman due to a knee sprain (Oct. 2015).

SUMMARY: A three-year starter at West Virginia, Cajuste earned the starting left tackle job as a redshirt freshman and started 30 games there the past four seasons, capping his career as the Big 12’s Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2018 (shared the award with Kansas State’s Dalton Risner and Oklahoma’s Dru Samia). With his basketball background, he plays with long arms, coordinated feet and body movements. Cajuste hasn’t been playing the position most of his life, which shows with his waist-bending pass-sets and inconsistent hand play. Overall, there are examples on tape of him rolling his hips, using his punch and mirroring rushers in space, but he doesn’t do it on a consistent snap-by-snap basis. Cajuste has NFL starting potential if he eliminates the sloppy, undisciplined parts to his game, but that is a big if.

NEXT: WVSports.com will have more with Brugler in the near future with complete evaluations and analysis on West Virginia wide receivers David Sills and Gary Jennings, tight end Trevon Wesco and linebacker David Long.

Brugler has been covering the NFL Draft for 10 years and began working for The Athletic this past August. For more of his NFL Draft analysis visit https://theathletic.com/author/dane-brugler/.

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