Highly touted Stanford offensive tackle Andrus Peat intends to apply for entry into the 2015 NFL Draft, the school announced Tuesday.
Peat (6-foot-7, 316 pounds) is considered one of the top underclassmen nationally and looks to be a first-round lock in a draft with a number of sought-after tackles. He should be in the mix to be the one of the first three tackles selected.
His dad, Todd, played for six seasons in the NFL.
Peat, who is from the Phoenix area, was a consensus national top-30 recruit in the 2012 signing class and played extensively as a reserve as a true freshman; he started at left tackle the past two seasons. He has excellent size and high-level athleticism. He is quick off the snap and can be a road-grader in the running game. He also has the feet and agility to become a high-level pass protector.
Before the season, NFL Media analyst Bucky Brooks called Peat a "pro-ready offensive tackle with impressive technical skills and athleticism." While Peat won the Pac-12 Morris Trophy, given annually to the most outstanding offensive lineman in the league, he had some issues with consistency in pass protection, related mostly to lapses in technique. At this point, he is a better run blocker than pass protector.
Stanford didn't start any seniors on its offensive line this season, so the ground-oriented Cardinal still will return four starting offensive linemen for next season.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
