Film Don't Lie | Anthonie Knapp

Notre Dame already had one 2024 offensive line commitment in the boat with Peter Jones‍ and they just picked up their second of the cycle, the first since Joe Rudolph took over the job as offensive line coach.

Rudolph was the one who gave Anthonie Knapp‍ his first Power 5 offer after working him out at a Virginia Tech camp and Rudolph continued to show how much he thinks of Knapp’s potential by extending him an offer from Notre Dame as well. It’s not difficult to see why Rudolph would feel that way based on what Knapp shows on film.

I wasn’t sure what to expect before I watched him, but I came away very impressed and I’m a fan of this pickup for the Irish.

Height: 6’4”

Weight: 265

Projected Position: Guard or tackle

ISD Grade: 90 (4-star)

National Average Grade: 89.0 (3-star)

What he does best:

They say the best feeling for an offensive linemen is moving a man from point A to point B against their will. Knapp is the kind of blocker who tries to pancake his man through point B. He has a nasty disposition on the field and frequently puts people on the ground.

Leverage, fit, and finish.

That may be the best feeling for an O-linemen, but the thing that always stands out to me the most with is how they move. There’s a lot of big, powerful young men who struggle to win against quicker defensive linemen because they don’t have the mobility necessary to reach block an edge defender or pick up a linebacker at the second level.

That is not the case with Knapp.

It’s clear to me that he’s been well coached and you can see it with him in pass protection. He is balanced with light feet and a solid punch. He also is able to pull off a nice snatch and trap move against ends who try to bull rush him.

What he needs to improve:

The biggest thing for him will be adding weight and getting stronger, but I’m not overly concerned about that. Some people might want to make it an issue, but the list of recent Notre Dame offensive linemen who had similar physical profiles to him when they were high school juniors is fairly long.

The list of players who weren’t able to put on the necessary weight is short. Notre Dame got a good chance to evaluate his size and frame in-person. Rudolph also has a lot of experience with multiple players who had to add the same kind of weight who he helped develop into NFL Draft picks in college.

That and his arm length gives me a lot of confidence that adding weight shouldn’t be a problem for him.

With someone who is light like him right now, my question would be how well will he anchor if he gets moved inside to play guard? That’s something that can only be answered with time.

What’s his ceiling?

I think Knapp could legitimately play tackle for the Irish and he has the feet to play the left side. Zack Martin was 6’4” without pterodactyl arms and played it extremely well in college. He’s not the only one who has done it at a high level either.

I do think Knapp is someone who could project to multiple positions a la Jarrett Patterson. However, the player that Knapp reminds me of the most is former Washington O-linemen Luke Wattenberg and he ended up starting 48 games for the Huskies at left tackle, left guard, and center before being drafted in the 5th round by the Denver Broncos.

I think Knapp has the potential to develop into a quality starter for multiple seasons with the proper physical development.

Who he could be:

Former Washington O-linemen Luke Wattenberg

Greg Flammand and I had a good discussion on Knapp on Tuesday’s Hit & Hustle as well. 

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