Film Don't Lie: John Olmstead
Jeff Quinn had a pretty nice finish to 2018 recruiting when he was able to land 4-star Jarrett Patterson, but everyone has been waiting to see how he’ll do now that he is responsible for the entire group on the offensive line.
Well, he’s off to a nice start with addition of another 4-star in John Olmstead (Metuchen, NJ). He is in the mold of a big, mean individual that plays like he wants to hurt people. There are areas where he needs to improve his game, but Olmstead definitely checks all the boxes as a nasty run blocker that fits the identity they are working to maintain in Notre Dame’s offense.
Height: 6’6”
Weight: 290
Projected Position: Guard
ISD Grade: 90 (4-star)
National Average Grade: 91.6 (4-star)
What he does best:
Looking at my notes, “Gets after it” is right at the top so might as well begin there. He plays with consistent leg drive and is not satisfied with a stalemate against an opponent. That’s why you’ll see him block a defender off the screen on film like he does here.
Olmstead has a scrapper mentality. There is no give up in his game and this next block is the best example of that. He’s at left tackle and the end he is blocking is trying to work off the block.
Olmstead won’t let him go, though. He sustains it the whole way even past the point of when the runner is already by him. That is by no means perfect technique and he is leaning too much, but how can you not love the effort to stick with it? (Unless you are the one who Olmstead pancaked)
Although he is listed at 6’6”, he doesn’t look particularly long. There is no doubt he is a flat out big and is functionally strong at the point of attack. He has a great base and when he fits like he is supposed to, then he can do things like this.
What he needs to improve:
Sometimes Olmstead pops out too high with his pad level and has to readjust. I mentioned the leaning as well and he needs to get himself under control more often. That’s the kind of thing he won’t get away with at the college level when players are bigger, faster, and play with more consistent pad level.
He’s not an agile guy in space. Some of that can be fixed with technique and approach, but some guys are just better matched up in a phone booth than having to hit and finish on the move. He’ll have to be very sharp with his angles and steps to be effective at the second level and while pulling.
There is not a lot of film that I’ve seen from him in pass protection and from what I have seen he looks pretty raw. He will stand up too high with not enough knee bend. I’ve seen him lean and reach rather than move his feet too.
Although he plays tackle now, I’m not sure if he’ll ever have the kind of feet to handle elite quickness off the edge. Maybe he will prove me wrong, but I see him as a much better fit on the interior at Notre Dame.
What’s his ceiling?
Guards don’t need to be elite athletes. They just need to be good enough and if they can anchor well in pass protection, they will be just fine. I can definitely see Olmstead taking some time to get acclimated at the next level, but I see him as being able to adjust to what he needs to do technically with his game.
I love his lunch pail mentality. I watch him play and think, “That looks like a guard”. And the kind of guard that most running backs would want to have blocking in front of them on 3rd and short.
A good college football comparable for his ceiling would be former Duke guard Laken Tomlinson. He was also not a great athlete, but played the same kind of game and became an all-conference player later in his career. I think Olmstead has the potential to become a solid to great starter at the next level if he can improve the current deficiencies with his play.