Cade has the requisite size to play guard or tackle in the NFL. He has limited experience at center making him extremely versatile at the next level. When you think of offensive linemen, you think big nasties, particularly on the interior, and Mays check all the boxes.
Cade demonstrates strength in multiple ways. He is more than capable of taking a man out of the play with one powerful punch. He also showcases impressive grip strength. Once he is engaged, it is rare to see his opponent break free from his vice like grip. He also uses his lower body strength to anchor well when he gets set in pass protection.
Cade can't be described as an elite athlete, he has impressive reps as a pulling guard or tackle. He moves well across the back of the offensive formation. He routinely delivers a blow before his opponent has the opportunity to disrupt the play. He also gets out to the second level well in the run game.
Areas for Improvement
Cade has multiple inconsistencies in his timing and placement of his initial punch are often off, allowing his opponent to get the better of him. While his grip strength is good, the above timing issues mean that he routinely does not get hold of his man. He is prone to bending at the waist rather at the knees ensuring that he is unbalanced. He spends more time on the ground than he does driving his opponent. Cade is guilty of some immature penalties that will need to be eradicated from his game. He missed time with injury in almost every season during his college football career.
Cade Mays Career at Georgia/Tennessee
Cade Mays started his college career at Georgia while most true newcomers need a little seasoning before hitting the college field, Mays was already built like a grizzled veteran. He missed three games with injury but he featured in 11 contests. He made seven starts as a true freshman, including one at left tackle. He was featured as part of the rushing attack that led to the rank of 16th in the nation. He earned Freshman All American honors from the FWAA while being named to SEC All Freshman Team by the conference's coaches.
Cade continued to show his true versatility on the line as a sophomore. He made 11 starts in 14 appearances. He saw most of his time at right guard and took starting reps at right tackle, left tackle and left guard. He even saw meaningful reps as a center against Missouri. He continued to develop into one of the top units in the country. They ranked fifth for sacks allowed and ninth in tackles for loss allowed.
Mays transferred across teh SEC to Tennessee after two seasons in Athens. Mays annoucned he was transferring to Tennessee. Having initially committing there, and which his brother Cooper also an offensive lineman for the Vols. Accusations of a toxic environment were lobbied towards Georgia, and the story of Kevin Mays’ decapitated finger became headline news. Having initially had his eligibility waiver denied, the Bulldogs accused the Mays family of trying to corral the appeal process into overturning the decision.
Mays was cleared to play for the Vols in 2020. The Tennessee native made his debut at right tackle against Missouri before moving inside to guard for the rest of the season. In one of his better performances of the year, he was credited with allowing neither a sack nor penalty against Auburn. Mays could have declared for the 2021 NFL Draft, he opted to return for his senior season. With a new coaching staff and offensive system, the versatile offensive lineman has the opportunity to enhance his stock ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft. While starting at right tackle in his first game of the new campaign, he didn’t allow a sack or penalty.
Cade Mays NFL Draft Player Profile
Being a five-star high school recruit doesn’t always lead to professional success. The path to the NFL Draft is littered with high-profile high school players who never turned their high school potential into a professional skill set. Despite this, Mays’ high school prowess is often referred to when making a case for him to be an early-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft.
There are certainly elements of May’s game that will prove attractive to the NFL. Firstly, where versatility is a highly valued commodity at the next level, there may not be a more versatile offensive lineman in the class. As we’ll allude to later in his player profile, Mays has seen starting time at four of the five offensive line positions. Furthermore, he’s seen significant reps at center.
There is also an element of scheme versatility that will make Mays a valuable draft prospect. He spent time in a power-run offense at Georgia before transferring to a more zone-based scheme at Tennessee. With scheme fit a crucial part of the evaluation, Mays will increase his options at the next level.
